Fire at Baltimore marina destroys two boats, sinking one

A fire at the Anchorage Marina in Baltimore’s Canton neighborhood on Wednesday destroyed two boats, one of which sank.

There were multiple boats ablaze when the Baltimore Fire Department arrived, but the worst damage was to two 55-foot-long vessels. There were also concerns that one of the boats contained propane tanks, fire officials said in a Facebook post.

An unidentified man and his dog were on board one of the boats that caught fire, and were able to get out unharmed, Anchorage Marina Board of Directors President Thomas Behrle told the Baltimore Banner. No injuries were reported, fire officials said.

Plastic shrink wrapping on some of the boats, applied for the winter, also posed a risk of the fire spreading.

After nearly an hour of fighting the fire, one of the vessels sank after burning through a rope, with the other “completely burned and still remaining afloat,” BFD spokesperson Kevin Cartwright told WBAL-TV.

Recovery of the sunk boat will be delayed in order to prevent unnecessary pollution.

“As fuel is released from these boats, you want to be able to absorb it. Once we have that under control, at some point in time there’ll be a salvage team that’ll come in and attempt to salvage that boat that’s on the bottom,” Baltimore Fire Department Chief James Wallace told WJZ-TV.

The fire broke out on the marina’s “B” dock, which was rebuilt in spring 2023 with new wiring, plumbing and decks.

“Obviously, from the marina’s perspective, it’s the worst thing that can happen at a marina other than a drowning. Fortunately, in this situation, Bill and his dog got off the boat safely, so there were no injuries. Now, it’s just a cleanup,” marina board treasurer John Novotny, who lives at the marina, told WBAL-TV.

An investigation into the fire is ongoing.