Luxury Yacht With Ammo and Fireworks Aboard Catches Fire at LA Pier

Courtesy LA County Fire Department

Published Sep 19, 2024 3:21 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

On Wednesday night, a large yacht berthed in a Los Angeles County marina caught fire with fireworks and a large quantity of ammunition on board, prompting a large-scale response from the local firefighting department and the U.S. Coast Guard. 

The Los Angeles County Fire Department received reports of a fire aboard the yacht The Admiral at about 2030 hours on Wednesday evening. The first responders used hoses to bring the blaze under control abovedecks, but the yacht continued to burn belowdecks and soon took on a list. At about 2230 hours, The Admiral began to sink at the pier. 

Local news outlet KTLA reports that the yacht's owner informed first responders that the yacht had fireworks and about 1,000 rounds of ammunition on board. 

Two passengers were aboard when the fire broke out, and they were able to safely escape onto the shore without any injury. The vessel spilled an unknown quantity of red-dye diesel into the water, and booms have been deployed to contain the pollution. The maximum potential fuel quantity aboard the vessel is believed to be about 6,000 gallons.

The U.S. Coast Guard has deployed an environmental management team to monitor the cleanup effort, and contractors Patriot Environmental Services and Clean Harbors have been contracted to carry out pollution abatement. Officials from the county sheriffs' office and the state office of fish and wildlife are also on scene to assist.  

Superyacht Times has identified the vessel as the 1986-built Broward Marine yacht The Admiral, an all-aluminum 31-meter vessel with accommodations for up to six people.