Multiple boats damaged in fire at Grapevine Lake marina, one injured

GRAPEVINE — Multiple fire departments responded to a fire at a Grapevine Lake marina where several boats were damaged and one person was injured.

The Grapevine Fire Department was called around 1:20 p.m. and was able to locate the exact location of the 2-alarm fire about 17 minutes later, the Grapevine Fire Chief said.

"[I] pulled up and I heard this big boom, and I was like, 'holy cats,'" said boat owner Mark Austin. "And you saw a boat engulfed in flames!"

"I was walking into the shop to clock in, I heard a loud explosion - it sounded like one of the dumpsters that we have getting set down by the garbage truck but it sounded like it was on the dock, and I was like, 'what is that,'" said Grady  Hendrickson, who works at Silver Lake Marina.

Ten units from Grapevine FD plus crews from Bedford, Colleyville, DFW Airport, Flower Mound, Euless, Lewisville, Hurst and North Richland Hills worked to extinguish the fire, Grapevine FD said, adding that water supply was a "significant challenge."

"It becomes manpower intensive because our companies have had to physically lay out the hose from the engine that's pumping the fire all the way down to the docks all the way to the fire," said Darrell Brown, Grapevine Fire Department Chief.

Brown said that based on an initial survey, four boats sustained extreme damage in the fire, and up to six boats were also damaged, but fire crews were able to keep the fire from spreading from its initial location.

"The bottom line is this is still very sketchy and this may change," said Brown, "but we believe somebody went to start their boat, there was either an electrical short or some kind of malfunction and there was an ignition of a fire and that's what started this whole thing."

Brown said one person was removed from the boat where the fire started but did not have any information about the person's injuries. He also mentioned the 90-plus-degree heat Sunday made things harder on fire crews and several other departments helped out so that crews could rotate.

"You know you take a lot of things for granted when you're on the water like that you don't think you're gonna see something like this and when you see it unfold it's very surreal," said Austin.

In a letter to members Sunday, the marina said that the area is closed while the authorities conduct their investigation; however, it will shuttle members by boat to unaffected slips, if needed, beginning Monday.