Fishing boat burns, sinks near State Pier

By Jack Spillane, Standard-Times staff writer

NEW BEDFORD -- A spectacular boat and oil slick fire early yesterday morning filled the dawn sky with thick plumes of black smoke and endangered nearby boats, a fuel depot and a crowded docking area near the State Pier.

The fire in the Pisces, a 50-foot wooden fishing boat that was scheduled to go out to sea, began around 3:30 a.m.

Fire Department officials fought the blaze for more than an hour, pouring water onto the boat from the adjacent State Pier.

Around 5:15 a.m., the boat turned on its side and sank in its berth, temporarily putting out the fire.

But just after 6 a.m., a second fire -- perhaps ignited from sparks still smoldering on the boat -- quickly spread through an oil slick that had formed in the harbor.

During the second fire, flames leaped tens of feet into the air, nearly engulfing the Ernestina and the adjacent Pier Oil Co. shed.

The Ernestina is a historic Cape Verdean schooner berthed in the harbor.

"It was a large black cloud. This whole area was in flames," said Conrad Roy Jr., whose family was scheduled to help raise the 50-foot vessel out of the water.

"It was something to see early on," said Lt. Scott Kruger, the fire investigator.

The second blaze melted the boom that Coast Guard and environmental officials had deployed to contain the oil spill.

Lt. Kruger said he had no theories about the cause of the blaze.

Officials with the U.S. Coast Guard and Harbor Hydraulics and Machine hoped to raise the boat last night.

When the vessel is raised, investigators will examine the evidence and hope to get a better idea of the causes of the fire, Lt. Kruger said.

Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer Will Hart said officials at that time also will get a better idea of what caused the boat to sink.

The heavy flames did not last long, as the oil burned off quickly, Lt. Kruger said. They were eventually contained with chemical foam.

There were a few hairy minutes, however, when officials feared the fire would spread.

"If that fire had gotten underneath that pier, that would have been a nightmare," Lt. Kruger said.

Parts of the boat continued to smolder in the water until around 8:30 a.m.

Jonathan Roy, Conrad's brother, entered the grimy area around the boat and used a hose to put the blaze out for good by spraying water into the sunken ship.

Frank Corp., a New Bedford cleanup company, and the U.S. Coast Guard coordinated the clean-up.

A Department of Environmental Affairs official estimated it could take several days to clean up the oil slick.

"Right now, it's confined to the top portion of the water column. That's where we want to confine it," he said.

Tyson Rose said there was no sign of contamination of birds, but said it is more difficult to tell the effects on marine life.

Officials said they are unsure of what caused the oil spill. It might have been that the fuel tanks ruptured when the boat sank. Or it might have been that the fire melted fuel lines, they said.

Booms and absorbent pads are being used to clean up as much fuel as possible. It will be helpful if adjacent fishing boats don't enter and exit the area until the spill is cleaned, he said.

Fire officials estimated there was some 2,800 gallons of diesel fuel, as well as 200 gallons of hydraulic oil and another 50 gallons of motor oil aboard the vessel.

The wooden fishing boat, which officials said is owned by Kevin Slaughter, was about to go out to sea. It had been stocked with food and provisions.

Workmen had been welding on the boat for the past several days, said Mark Costa, a captain with the Alert, a Cuttyhunk ferry.

"Sometimes these things start below," he said.

The Fire Department is in charge of monitoring welding operations on the waterfront.

Mr. Costa said he watched part o the firefighting effort.

"People were saying, 'They're going to sink it. But what are you going to do? You can't let it burn.

"I think the Fire Department did a great job," he said.

Fire Chief Warren Ide said he did not think water from hoses caused the boat to sink. The fire may have burned through part of the boat and allowed water into the boat, he said.

Jack Spillane covers government and politics for The Standard-Times. He can be reached by phone at (508) 979-4472 or by e-mail at jspillane@s-t.com

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