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CNN Saturday Morning News

Blaze at Seattle Marina Destroys Dozens of Boats

Aired May 18, 2002 - 07:09   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: In Seattle, Washington, firefighters have a smelly, smoky blaze at a marina mostly under control, but not soon enough to prevent dozens of boats from going up in flames.

Jim Foreman of our CNN affiliate KING in Seattle is covering the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM FOREMAN, KING, SEATTLE: Good morning. It has been a very difficult fire to fight through the night here on Seattle's Lake Union, which is just north of downtown. At one point it seems that firefighters get the upper hand, and then something explodes on them, perhaps propane tanks, and the fire seems to take off again.

The fire started late Friday evening on a boat that was adrift in the lake. It somehow managed to slam into a dock full of 40-plus boats, and that dock, that pier, caught on fire, and so did those boats.

Adding to the problem, these just aren't recreational crafts, these just aren't pleasure boats. Many of these large yachts are people's homes. They have been burned out.

The investigation into exactly how the fire could spread so quickly is going to be a very intense one. There has been a lot of concern among many of the so-called live-aboards, people who live on these boats, that there was not adequate firefighting protection on this lake. They are now saying the worst nightmare has come true.

But there is a bright spot in all this. There are no reports of anybody being seriously hurt, although firefighters continue their search. This fire will continue to smolder through the day, perhaps well through the weekend.

I'm Jim Foreman in Seattle.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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