Crime & Safety

Source of Lanoka Harbor Marina Fire Still Being Investigated

Lacey dock waiting for probe to be completed before cleaning up remains of blaze that destroyed five boats and damaged two others

The cause of a fire that destroyed and severely damaged two others at Ocean Beach Marina in Lanoka Harbor has yet to be determined.

Caution tape surrounds the otherwise open marina Friday as insurance, county and local investigators probe the cause of a blaze that's left the area looking like a "crime scene," an employee said. 

The investigation into the cause is ongoing, said Michael A. Paulhus, Ocean County executive assistant prosecutor. It may take a few more days for the Prosecutors Office to uncover the source of the blaze.

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Speculation is surrounding the fourth boat, marina service manager Kyle Firuta said. But he does not suspect arson as cameras surround the marina and nothing suspicious has been found.

“A police officer actually patrolled the area an hour earlier,” he said. “We haven’t cancelled out anything yet. But it’s protected here. I don’t think it was arson.”

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It is possible that one of the boats had been plugged in, charging its battery, he said. Some owners like to keep their boats charged during the winter and others work on their boats, especially with the spring season approaching.

“The power was turned on,” he said.

Firuta said he was not aware of the incident until he woke up Thursday morning and rushed to work after receiving an email with photos of the damage.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” he said. “This is not how we expected to start the spring commission season.”

'It's Like a Crime Scene'

Four fire companies worked to contain the fire that began in the early morning hours Thursday. It took two hours before the fire was under control at 3:30 a.m.

The Lanoka Harbor Fire Department most recently revealed that the closest fire hydrant to the blaze caused problems. The steamer cap that the department connects their line to was rusted and stuck on the hydrant, firefighter Kevin Perrone said.

The line was run to another hydrant until the cap came off, he said. The problem caused an approximate five- to 10-minute delay but the fire did not spread during that time.

“I don’t feel it was a problem putting out the fire because it was so big,” Perrone said. “We had enough water.”

Ocean Beach Marina is still operating but cannot yet clean up, Firuta said.

“We have to wait for all insurance parties involved,” he said. The marina requires all boat owners to have insurance but it is not uncommon for them to only hold liability policies.

“As of now, we can't do anything,” Firuta said. “It’s like a crime scene.”

An insurance representative on the scene who wished to remain anonymous said he would be meeting with the other insurance companies to investigate. In his 28 years on the job, he has seen similar boat fires before.

“We try to figure out what happened, what caused it,” he said. “Each insurance company is responsible for a boat. If it is determined that one is at fault, we’ll all contact that person's insurance company.”

Joe Kupper’s boat is in dry storage just across the marina, not too far from where the fire ignited.

“My boat’s just over there,” he said, relieved. “So I’m feeling pretty good.”

Kupper, a dock master at the Ocean Beach Marina in Lavallette, also has seen boat fires in the past.

“I don’t think I’ve seen anything where it’s just the railing sitting on the ground,” he said as he stared at the damage in disbelief. “This is total devastation.”

Kupper knows several of the affected boat owners, one of whom just traded his boat for a new and larger one.

“He has a wife and a young daughter. They enjoy to come down every weekend,” Kupper said. “He was thrilled with his new boat but he only used it twice. I feel bad for him. He did a lot of work on it.”

“The owners are distraught, completely devastated,” Firuta said. “Some of the owners had their boats for 17 years. It’s like losing a child.”

No 'Major' Environmental Concerns

As you stand at the scene, the smell of gas lingers and can be seen in puddles.

Booms are surrounding the burned boats to absorb and contain the chemicals from spreading, Firuta said. There’s everything from antifreeze to oil and diesel fuel.

“Boats aren’t really made for fires,” he said. “Our priority is to get cleaned up from an environmental standpoint.” 

The Department of Environmental Protection was contacted by the local fire departments, Perrone said.

“If there was a serious problem, we would have had a HAZMAT team there but there was no need at that time,” Perrone said. “There’s definitely going to be a HAZMAT problem there.”

A call to the DEP is routine, DEP spokesman Larry Ragonese said.

“There wasn’t anything major that occurred that had us in an active role,” he said. “A local emergency management group will be handling that directly. Our role is limited here.”

Since the fire, Firuta has fielded more than 100 phone calls from other owners  concerned about their boats. The incident will not impact other boat owners in the yard, Firuta said.

“We intend on having a pretty early start to the season,” Firuta said. The season typically begins in mid-April but they were expecting it to start in mid-March this year because of the mild winter.

“It’s just something we have to handle and get through,” he said. “It’s a learning process.”


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