Two people were killed and three were hospitalized with burns Saturday when a 35-foot pleasure boat burst into flames at a fuel dock in the Alamitos Bay, on the eastern side of Long Beach.
The fire was reported at 5:17 p.m. at the dock in the 200 block of Marina Drive, Long Beach firefighter Jake Heflin told City News Service.
The dock was near a fire station, Heflin said. Firefighters rushed to the scene of the large, smoky fire that could be smelled by residents throughout the east side of Long Beach and seen throughout the marina area.
Long Beach firefighters on land and in the water were assisted in putting out the well-involved fire by Orange County Fire Authority counterparts, he said. No firefighters were injured.
The wreckage of the boat was towed to an isolation dock to prevent environmental impacts such as leaking fuel, Heflin said.
The investigation into the fatal fire will include reports that the boat was either fueling or had just finished fueling when it burst into flames, he said.