Marina del Rey harbor produced an unexpected light show Wednesday night as a luxury yacht loaded with ammunition and fireworks burned for more than two hours before the flames were extinguished, authorities said.
Flames leaped 20 to 30 feet from the 100-foot vessel, named the Admiral, while rounds of live ammunition could be heard firing from the boat, according to videos from the scene.
On Thursday morning, the charred yacht lay on its side and the water around it was red from the diesel fuel dumped from the vessel. A Coast Guard spokesperson said an estimated 4,000 liters 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 left safely. There was no information on the cause of the fire.
The 100-foot-long boat was loaded with unused ammunition and fireworks, according to the owner.
(LA County Fire Dept.)
An LA County Fire spokesman said one person suffered minor injuries, was treated at the scene and released.
Firefighters responded to an alarm at around 8.30pm on Wednesday and finally knocked out the flames at 10.33pm. The boat was declared fully submerged at 11:33 p.m
The yacht’s owner, who was not identified, told fire officials the vessel was carrying 1,000 rounds of ammunition and fireworks.
US Coast Guard personnel confirmed they were on site to evaluate cleanup options.