Lacey Marina 'Moving On' Post Blaze

As of Tuesday afternoon, a charred frame was all that remained of a recreational boat at the Ocean Beach Marina. Even though the devastating fire that destroyed five boats was , the wind’s breeze revealed the lingering odor of soot.

But with hopes to by the end of this week, the Lacey marina is “moving on,” general manager Jared Gaccione said.

“The only impact we saw was with the customers involved in the fire,” Gaccione said. The marina fortunately did not take a hit economically.

Gaccione has since been in touch with those customers and is convinced they will return to Ocean Beach Marina with new boats. “I hope they’ll get past this,” he said.

Others have showed “normal” safety concerns, but the marina’s staff has ensured customers that the camera system is in place and precautionary measures will be taken in the future, he said.

“We didn’t run into any issues,” he said. “We’ve addressed customers' concerns. Everybody went into the water as usual.”

With the unexpected blaze, the marina did not get backed up, Gaccione said. All boats on land were serviced and commissioned in time for the season.

“We met all the deadlines and concerns prior to the big rush,” he said.

The fire, which occurred on Thursday, Feb. 23, was by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and the investigation has been closed.

But speculation surrounded the fourth boat, which is the one that remains on site. It is possible that one of the boats had been plugged in, charging its battery, service manager Kyle Firuta previously told Patch. Some owners like to keep their boats charged during the winter and others work on their boats, with the spring season approaching.

Since the fire, Ocean Beach Marina is considering implementing new procedures to prevent future incidents from occurring, Gaccione said. The new regulations would go into effect in the fall but Gaccione could not specify what the changes would entail.

“Nothing’s set in stone yet,” he said. “There are things that we’re considering.”

Since the fire, the marina has continued with its usual services and has even taken on Aqua Rentz, a new rental boat program. Boats from 13 to 26 feet can be rented hourly, daily, weekly, monthly or seasonally. 

“We’re not trying to dwell on the past,” Gaccione said. “We’re moving on.”