BRIEFLY IN THE NEWS Harbor Patrol puts...

BRIEFLY IN

THE NEWS

Harbor Patrol puts out two boat fires

A Harbor Patrol fireboat on Sunday put out two boat fires, one of

which it spotted while it was responding to the other.

Newport Beach lifeguards reported a fire aboard a fishing vessel

at 9:53 a.m., said Sgt. David Ginther of the Orange County Sheriff’s

Harbor Patrol. The Ayya, a 40-foot fishing boat, was seven miles out

from Newport Harbor when the fire was reported, Ginther said. None of

the ship’s three crew members were injured, he said.

The fiberglass portion of the boat’s smokestack was smoldering,

Ginther said. The fire was believed to have been caused by a spark

from the exhaust, he said. The Harbor Patrol’s fireboat was able to

put the fire out.

The Ayya received minor to moderate damage and was sailed back to

the harbor on its own, Ginther said.

While the Harbor Patrol’s fireboat was en route to the Ayya fire,

its crew spotted a 14-foot fishing skiff with its outboard motor on

fire just outside the harbor at 10 a.m., Ginther said. The fire was

put out immediately after it was spotted by the fireboat crew.

Neither of the occupants of the rental boat were injured, he said.

The only damage was to the outboard motor, he said.