Boat catches fire in Marblehead

MARBLEHEAD – A boat caught fire at a dock in Marblehead on Wednesday evening, causing people on the boat to jump into the water for cover and sending plumes of black smoke into the sky, according to witnesses and police and fire officials on the scene.A Cutty caught fire at about 8:15 p.m. as it docked at Village Street Pier, according to Marblehead Police Chief Robert Picariello. Picariello said the fire spread quickly and engulfed the end of the boat. He said the Salem Harbormaster sped over to the boat and began to help put out the fire as Marblehead Fire and Police responded by land. Picariello said no one was injured and there was minimal damage to the dock, but the boat was severely damaged.”I’m not a boat guy, but I’d say it’s a total loss,” Picariello said.Witnesses describe hearing a loud pop and then seeing the boat engulfed in flames as black smoke spiraled upward.”It was a huge boom, like a cannon,” said Elizabeth Douglas, who was on the water with her husband when the fire happened. She and other boatgoers approaching the dock had to wait anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour to get off their boat, she said.Gregg Thibodeau was eating dinner on his deck at his home overlooking the water when the boat caught fire.”We heard this big poof, and we looked over and saw the back end of the boat engulfed,” he said.He said two girls on the boat ran away from the dock as another man jumped into the water.”Pretty soon it was running like heck,” he said of the fire.Picariello said authorities are investigating what caused the fire.Amber Parcher can be reached at [email protected].