Yacht catches fire in Lauderdale

Apr 25, 2018 by Lucy Chabot Reed

The M/Y Tivoli, a 95-foot (29m) Turquoise expedition yacht launched in 2001, caught fire yesterday (April 24) while docked for renovations at Marina Mile Yachting Center in Fort Lauderdale.

The fire is believed to have started in the lower forward stateroom area. The actual cause is still under investigation.

“I was very impressed with the fire department,” said David Hole, manager at the shipyard. “They were calm and collected, and if they didn’t react as quickly as they did, we would have had a chain reaction.”

Instead, crew aboard suppressed the fire until city firefighters arrived. Steel Marine Towing arrived to tow a neighboring yacht away from the fire, Hole said.

M/Y Tivoli. Photo by Jim Steel, Steel Marine Towing

Forty firefighters responded to the two-alarm fire, according to news reports. Capt. Gregory May, battalion chief of Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue, said it took an hour to extinguish the flames.

“I saw some of the comments online [criticizing the firefighters] that I don’t agree with,” Hole said. “If they hadn’t done what they did, the fire would have taken a whole row of yachts out. They did a fantastic job and were very professional. I couldn’t be more happy in this bad situation on what could have been a lot worse.”

At least one person was treated for smoke inhalation, but no serious injuries were reported.

M/Y Tivoli, previously 90.6 feet and often seen at the Antigua Charter Yacht Show, was sold last year. It has spent the past year in refit, including a complete paint job from its tell-tale pale yellow and new interior, Hole said. Damage from the fire was limited, he said, thanks to quick and organized reaction from crew onsite and firefighters.

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About Lucy Chabot Reed

Lucy Chabot Reed is publisher and founding editor of The Triton.

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