1 reply to this topic

[BOOBMAN]

Beach-goers and boaters alike watched as the holiday weekend heated up with two fires in Lake Havasu City Sunday — one right after the other.

Fire erupted on the roof of a recognizable local lake vendor known around Havasu as the Big Orange Boat.

The lake vendor was in its usual spot in the middle of Thompson Bay when the fire was reported about 5 p.m. Sunday.

The fire was reportedly localized on the vendor boat’s air conditioner unit or possibly a hood-exhaust unit situated atop the boat, according to Lake Havasu City Fire Department’s Battalion Chief Mike Quijada

“There were three occupants (on the boat) who were able to get off the boat safely during the incident,” Quijada said.

The department’s Fire Boat arrived on scene and extinguished the fire within 10 minutes, Quijada said.

The amount of damage was unspecified Sunday evening however Quijada said he thought the interior of the floating business was more than likely unhindered during the incident.

Waterway patrol boats from Lake Havasu City Police Department and Mohave County Sheriff’s Office and San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department arrived on scene to help.

MCSO were responsible for safely getting the occupants to safety, Quijada said.

SBCSD also responded with its helicopter staged at Contact Point for the agency’s holiday weekend operation.

The emergency responders were on scene about an hour.

About an hour before the big orange boat caught fire, another fire was sparked in a brush area of London Bridge Beach after the driver of a pick up truck was doing “burnouts” with his truck, according to Quijada.

“The exhaust probably caught something on fire,” Quijada said. The firefighters were alerted to the fire around 4 p.m. Sunday. In the end, the fire burned about an eighth of an acre, he said.

Havasu’s Fire Department responded with Engine 4, Engine 4 and Battalion Chief.

Desert Hills Fire Department was called to assist and arrived with Engine 21, Truck 2 and Rescue 3.

River Medical ambulance service also responded to the scene however no injuries were associated with the brush fire.

Lake Havasu City public works arrived and operated a bulldozer. The front-loader mopped up, or turned over the dirt, to ensure the fire would not re-ignite, Quijada explained.

Lake Havasu City Police Department arrived on scene to control traffic and onlookers in London Bridge Beach Park.

Firefighters were on scene about an hour, Quijada said.

“A lot of minor stuff, but a lot of it. It is kind of what we would expect for the holiday weekend. It has been steady and busy. But so far only the one tragedy,” Quijada said. The tragedy he is referring to is the fatality on Lake Havasu that Quijada and he fire crews responded to.

[fluentdesigns]

We drove right past it heading to Steamboat and when we got back we had heard the news... So unfortunate when t=something like this happens.