Boats Catch Fire at Little Creek Marina in Norfolk, VA

It was a chaotic overnight Sunday into Monday morning in Norfolk, Virginia, when three boats caught fire at Little Creek Marina.

Norfolk Fire-Rescue and the U.S. Coast Guard Station Little Creek responded to fight the fire. USCG says seven people were aboard the affected boats, but all made it safely off. 

Fire officials later said the fire displaced nine adults, a child and two dogs.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, Norfolk Fire & Rescue received their first report of the blaze at 1:19 a.m. The fire was under control around 2:55 a.m.

While fire services were battling the flames, one of the three boats broke free and sank in the shipping channel.  Officials Monday confirmed the fire had spread to three boats in total, all of which sank. Two of those boats are underwater at the dock. Officials said the third boat floated just outside of the marina after the fire burned the ropes at the dock, where it also sank.

For a few hours on Monday morning, the Coast Guard put a 500-yard safety zone in place that prevented all commercial traffic from passing through. The safety zone was lifted by mid-morning.

The marina basin is directly across from the U.S. Navy Amphibious Landing.

 

Coast Guard spokesperson Kimberly Reaves says USCG has deployed booms and sorbent material in the water to mitigate the risk of environmental damage to Little Creek and the Chesapeake Bay beyond.

Little Creek Marina caters to sailors, fishermen, and transient boaters. It has more than 120 deep-water slips with floating piers and recently changed ownership according to locals. 

It is managed by Coastal Properties, which operates multiple Chesapeake Bay marinas, including Piney Narrows Yacht Haven on Kent Narrows near Chester, MD, and Bowleys Marina in Middle River, MD.

The Little Creek Marina fire is still under investigation. The cause has not yet been released.

-Meg Walburn Viviano, Chesapeake Bay Magazine