| Tug Boat Fire in Nueces Bay |
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| Tuesday, 23 September 2008 14:26 | |||
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Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008 Reported by Susan Tallant, The Corpus Christi Caller-Times A 45-foot tug boat in Nueces Bay caught fire early Tuesday. Firefighters were able to contain the flame before it was able to ignite the fuel on the boat. No injuries were reported but officials were concerned that the 3,000 gallons of diesel fuel on the boat would explode, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Josh Morales. The boat was on the Ricon Channel when the fire started shortly after 7 a.m. Crews put out the fire in about 40 minutes, Morales said. Charlie Alegria, a seafood market owner, was at the boat ramp having coffee with two commercial fishermen when they spotted smoke and fire coming from tug boat. Alegria said one of the fishermen then jumped into his boat, headed to the burning tugboat and helped remove the captain and a crewman. “He’s a hero,” Alegria said. “He pulled up to that burning boat and got those people out. That took a lot of guts.” The captain of the boat said the fire might have been caused by a hydraulic line that burst. The Coast Guard is checking the area for fuel spillage or other pollution leaks, Morales said.
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| Last Updated on Thursday, 05 February 2009 23:02 |