Local News

While waiting for authorities to respond, a fellow boat owner grabbed a fire extinguisher to slow the spread, which firefighters credited with helping contain the blaze.

Newburyport firefighters extinguished an electrical fire on a 42-foot vessel at the Newburyport Yacht Club on Sunday night after another boat owner called 911.

The caller noticed the 42-foot Wesmac Trawler on fire around 10:20 p.m. at 300 Merrimack St., a release from the fire department noted.

While waiting for authorities to respond, the fellow boat owner worked to slow the spread, which firefighters credited with helping prevent what could have been a much larger fire, the release noted.

Firefighters fully extinguished the fire within 10 minutes thanks to this person’s help, officials said.

“I want to commend the other boat owner who not only alerted our Department to this fire, but who also grabbed a fire extinguisher and helped to keep this blaze contained as our companies responded,” said Chief Stephen H. Bradbury III in a statement. “This could have been a much worse fire if he hadn’t intervened.”

There were no reported injuries and most of the damage from the fire occurred within the boat’s pilot house, officials said.

The Newburyport Fire Department, which is leading the investigation, said “the cause of the fire was electrical in nature.”