Stamford Harbor excitement: Fire!

[SemiSalt]

I guess I missed the excitement down in the harbor while lazing around the house about 3 miles north.

If anyone is trying to place the picture, the Hinckley yard is behind the camera. The area on the far side of the fire is about 1/4 mile north (up harbor) from the site of the late, lamented Yacht Haven. The area has been, and continues to be, a site of major, multistory apartment construction, and I'm guess that one or more of the shiny new buildings got a layer of greasy soot. Picture and story from the Stamford Advocate.

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STAMFORD — Firefighters by sea and land battled an inferno that burned several boats, a floating tiki bar and multiple docks Saturday afternoon.

Five fire departments, including a fire boat from New York City, attacked flames spread by a drifting boat.

A boat fire at the gas dock at Hinckley boat yard, 2 Selleck St., was reported at 3:37 p.m. Engine 3 found a fully involved boat close to the dock and began stretching hoses, but the boat was adrift and was pushed across to the east side of the canal by the prevailing wind, according to the Stamford Fire Department.

The deputy chief at the scene ordered all responding fire units to redirect to Harbor Point Road on the east side of the canal.

The drifting boat carried its fire to a dock behind Beacon Apartments, where flames spread to the dock, three other boats and a floating tiki bar, the department said. Firefighters along Pacific Street and in the water attacked the fire.

The original burning boat and a second, by then also on fire, drifted south until they were corralled about 200 feet from the main fire, according to the Stamford Fire Department.

The original boat’s fuel tank ruptured, starting a floating fuel fire near the southern section of the dock at Harbor Point. That fire threatened the northernmost dock and additional boats moored at the Ponus Yacht Club.

A second separate water- and land-based firefighting effort was mounted by additional fire units on Pacific Street using two additional hose lines, and by fire boats in the canal.

The southern fire was quickly controlled and firefighting foam was used to finish extinguishing all of the boats and to douse the leaking fuel.

The blaze was declared under control at 4:52 p.m. The cause remains under investigation.

The Stamford Fire Department sent five engines, two truck companies, one rescue company, the deputy chief and a safety officer, for a total of 35 personnel.

Two Norwalk Fire Department marine units, the Greenwich Police marine unit, the Noroton Fire Department marine unit from Darien, FDNY Marine 4 from New York City, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Tow Boat U.S. and Stamford police and EMS units also responded.