Marina del Rey’s harbor produced an unexpected light show Wednesday evening as a luxury yacht loaded with ammunition and fireworks burned for more than two hours before flames were extinguished, authorities said.
Flames leaped 20 to 30 feet from the 100-foot vessel, dubbed the Admiral, while live ammunition rounds could be heard firing from the boat, according to videos from the scene.
Thursday morning, the charred yacht was lying on its side, and the water around it was tinted red from the diesel fuel dumped from the vessel. A Coast Guard spokesperson said an estimated 4,000 gallons of diesel was dumped into the water. The total is not official as monitoring continues.
Los Angeles County Fire Department officials said two passengers aboard the boat exited safely. No information was available about the cause of the blaze.
The 100-foot boat was loaded with unspent ammunition and fireworks, according to its owner.
(L.A. County Fire Dept.)
An L.A. County Fire spokesperson said one individual suffered minor injuries, was treated at the scene and was released.
Firefighters responded to a call around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday and eventually knocked out the flames at 10:33 p.m. The boat was declared fully submerged at 11:33 p.m.
The yacht’s owner, who was not identified, told fire officials that the vessel was carrying 1,000 rounds of ammunition and fireworks.
U.S. Coast Guard personnel confirmed they were on the scene evaluating cleanup options.
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