Broward Marine Fire - (Fort Lauderdale, Florida - September 5, 1996) » Overview

An early morning fire destroyed the Broward Marine boat manufacturing facility in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and caused extensive damage to several yachts under con - struction at the facility. The firestorm spread large embers throughout the area, causing spot fires throughout the property and damaging several boats moored near the site. The resulting smoke column was visible from as far as seven miles away.

Situated on the New River, the Broward Marine facility housed boat production and storage buildings dating back to the 1930's and marina areas. The structures involved in the fire included a manufacturing building, a boat assembly building, and an office building. The facility had previously been cited by authorities for a number of code violations. Damage was estimated at 15 million dollars.

The facility's security guard placed a call to 911 shortly after midnight, reporting a building in flames. The first arriving fire company, Engine 3, found the roof of the manufacturing building (Building A) had collapsed before their arrival on scene.

The first responding company officer called for a second alarm while enroute to the fire. Heavy black smoke was visible from fire station no. 3 located approximately 22 blocks away. A third alarm was called immediately upon arrival. The fire eventually required six alarms and mutual aid support from the Coast Guard, Port Everglades and five neighboring fire departments.

Firefighting efforts were hampered by the difficulty of accessing the site. West side access was restricted by a canal; the New River was located on the north side of the facility. The main access road was a narrow residential street partially blocked by parked private vehicles. Several covered boat slips abutted the property on both the north and west boundaries of the site.

The facility had no fire detection or alarm system and no automatic fire suppres - sion system. Water supply was from one yard hydrant and two hydrants off property, which were all supplied from the same main. Drafting was not possible on the north side of the fire due to the shallow waters and was impractical on the west side, as the fire building's west wall was built up to the canal. Fort Lauderdale's fire boat (FB 49) was pressed into service to feed supply and hand lines on the north side of the facility.

The building of origin (Building A) contained two yachts under construction and a large inventory of materials used in the manufacture of the yachts, including teak planks, fiberglass fabricating supplies and flammable liquids stored in barrels. Building A also housed a paint booth and a mezzanine area containing various storage.

Exposures were an immediate concern and included an assembly building (Building B) and a two story office building (Building C), both abutting the building of fire origin. Building B contained two 100-foot yachts in the final stages of construction. Also located on the property were a 1500-amp electric service distribution system, a dust collector associated with a woodworking shop, metalworking and paint shops. Several older wooden structures situated around the property housed storage and office areas.

As the firestorm developed, softball sized embers spread from the fire and ignited numerous spot fires around the property. Several boats in a neighboring marina on the east boundary of the property were damaged by firebrands. Although the westerly wind helped to protect the boats on the canal and to a lesser extent those in the north slips, all the boats were at risk until the fire was extinguished.

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