Drone captures $24 mn dream yacht going up in flames

21 Jun, 2014 13:48 / Updated 10 years ago

A dramatic moment when a $24 million dream yacht went up in blazing flames, sending plumes of black smoke up in the air in San Diego, California, was caught on video by a drone.

The yacht caught fire in the Chula Vista Marina before 9:20am PDT on Thursday, local ABC affiliate 10 News reported.

The video of the Polar Bear yacht engulfed in flames was filmed 10-15 minutes after the fire started, said Kurt Roll, the author of the footage posted on YouTube on Saturday.

“I was filming a friend’s boat in South Bay close by, when we saw the smoke coming from the Marine Group’s yard. This was fascinating to watch through my monitor, but having a boat myself I couldn’t help thinking of how horrible it would be to have your dream boat go up in flames. I’m sure the insurance will replace it, but wow what a bummer and a hassle,” he wrote.


The intensity of the fire was so fierce that “you could feel the heat coming off it," even about 90 meters away before the yacht was fully engulfed, marina worker Bill Cavanaugh told 10 News.

About 100 workers on site were evacuated as the fire started, while one was treated for smoke inhalation, the local fire chief said.

The 34-meter (112-foot) yacht was set ablaze supposedly due to a welding accident, but that has not been confirmed, local media reported.