Fishing Boat Catches Fire at Dock

COLD SPRING — Firefighters responded to a commercial fishing boat fire at 11:57 p.m. Wed., July 17 at Atlantic Cape Fisheries off Ocean Drive.
According to a Herald photographer, the vessel. My Girl, was docked when the fire broke out. The boat was enveloped by heavy smoke and flames.
Fire companies responding included Erma, the Coast Guard, Town Bank, Cape May, Villas and Rio Grande.
No injuries were initially reported.
According to a Coast Guard press release, firefighters from Coast Guard Training Center Cape May’s Fire Department were the first to arrive at the scene of the fire, which had engulfed much of the fishing vessel My Girl. Coast Guard fire crews extinguished the 20-foot blaze on the main deck spraying more than 1,250 gallons of water on the flames in less than five minutes.
“This response demonstrates not only our commitment to the safety of our community,” said Asst. Fire Chief Ryan Geraghty of the Training Center Cape May Fire Department. “It shows how well we can work with our partner agencies in the community.”
Coast Guard fire crews exhausted their water supply shortly before the Erma Volunteer Fire Company arrived with another engine and a tanker truck. Crews from Erma provided water to the Coast Guard fire engine crew as the primary fire attack team which continued to fight flames.
The fishing vessel began to list heavily, so Coast Guard crews devised a plan to prevent the vessel from sinking, which prevented a potential pollution hazard and made salvage efforts less dangerous. A small boat crew from Coast Guard Station Cape May arrived and provided de-watering pumps to Coast Guard firefighters. The Coast Guard firefighters boarded the stricken fishing vessel and began dewatering it to keep it from sinking next to the pier.
Coast Guard firefighters quick response helped prevent damage to a fishing vessel that was moored next to My Girl and prevented the fire from spreading to the Atlantic Cape Fisheries Marina.
The cause of the fire is being investigated by the New Jersey State Police Marine Division.
Photos by Robert Newkirk.