Fire officials say a marina in Fort Lauderdale will remain closed until at least Tuesday evening as officials investigate what caused two multi-million dollar yachts to go up in flames there early Sunday.
The fire started around 6:50 a.m. on Sunday at the Yacht Management New River Marina in the area of State Road 84 and SW 30th Avenue. Firefighters arrived to find a 78-foot Sun Seeker and 50-foot Azimut, models boaters said were worth $2 million a piece new, ablaze.
Flames as high as two stories and a large plume of heavy smoke were visible from nearby Interstate 95.
The two yachts were tethered together with several other vessels by a rope, according to Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Deputy Fire Chief Timothy Heiser. Firefighters cut the rope to prevent the other vessels from catching fire.
Heiser said firefighters were able to contain the blaze to just those two vessels. No injuries were reported.
The fire marshall was on the scene to investigate the cause of the fire.
