Shrewsbury firefighters battle boat fire on Lake Quinsigamond

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By Dakota Antelman, Managing Editor

Shrewsbury firefighters battle boat fire on Lake Quinsigamond
A boat fire belches smoke into the air near the Corazzini Boat Ramp in Shrewsbury. (Photo/courtesy Shrewsbury Fire Department)

SHREWSBURY – An 18 foot fiberglass boat went up in flames on Lake Quinsigamond on May 13.

No one was injured, but the vessel was deemed a total loss after photos showed dark black smoke billowing from the boat deck.

The Shrewsbury Fire Department said shortly after the blaze that an investigation was ongoing.

Though they could not immediately determine the exact cause of the fire, a Fire Department spokesperson did say, May 13, that their initial investigation suggested the boat’s operators were trying to start their engine near shore when their fuel ignited.

“Witnesses reported observing some type of engine problem that led to the sudden ignition,” a fire spokesperson wrote in a press release.

Shrewsbury Police Lake Patrol towed the burning boat to the Corazzini Boat Ramp at the Donohue Rowing Center off North Quinsigamond Ave.

Responding fire crews then extinguished the flames.

The Massachusetts Environmental Police were notified of the incident.

Boat fires are not common. Nevertheless, Shrewsbury Police have responded to similar events in the past.

Almost exactly a year before this latest incident, a speedboat caught fire on the lake. First responders extinguished that fire, in that case, using their fire boat to douse the stricken vessel.

 

 

 

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