MUSKEGON (WWJ) - A major fire at a West Michigan marina caused an estimated $1 million in damages or more on Monday, fire officials said, after smoke, water and heat affected dozens of boats.
Muskegon Fire Deputy Chief Jay Paulson said via Mlive that the fire broke out at the Safe Harbor Great Lakes Marina at 1920 Lakeshore Dr. near McCracken Street in Muskegon around 11:30 a.m.
Once arriving on scene, fire crews rushed to where smoke was billowing out of building 3, which stores roughly 150 boats.
Paulson said they discovered a large boat near the center of the building had caught fire and it spread quickly to other vessels around it.
“Just had a hard time getting into it because the boats were so condensed. … So it took us a bit to get to the one that was on fire, which was almost right in the middle of the boat lane,” Paulson said.
Crews were able to extinguish the fire, but not before smoke, heat and water damaged all the other boats inside the building. According to the fire chief, the storage building had many expensive cabin cruisers inside.
Paulson said the damages could easily amount to over $1 million — or possibly higher.
Muskegon Mayor Ken Johnson posted an update to social media about the fire on Monday afternoon, commending first responders for their quick response.
"While there are many damaged boats, I've been informed that no one was injured as a result of the fire fortunately," Johnson wrote.
Multiple departments from around the area helped the city's fire crews with battling the flames, including fire departments from Norton Shores, Muskegon Heights, Muskegon Charter Township, and North Muskegon. The Muskegon Police Department also assisted fire crews by directing traffic around the scene.
Officials said the exact cause of the fire remains under investigation. Boat owners were urged to stay away from the marina on Monday and contact management for further information.