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At around 10:30 p.m., thick, toxic smoke began to fill the sky over the harbor in the city’s northeast.
Boat operators halted their vessels, urgently attempting to provide assistance.
Among those who alerted emergency services by calling Triple Zero was Andrew Beale.
“The speed at which it all unfolded was astonishing and quite terrifying,” he remarked.
“Thankfully, no one was on the boats, and everyone remained safe,” he added.
Flames were spotted from streets away as The Breakwater was evacuated and a HAZMAT alert issued.
“Unfortunately for us the cause is undetermined due to the fact that by the time fire investigation arrived, all four boats were underwater,” Department of Fire and Emergency Services district officer Scott Bulloch said.
Piers melted and the berths were left empty.
It’s the second boat fire at Hillarys in five months.
“Smoke damage – nothing is melted, which is good but we dodged a bullet, that’s for sure,” boat owner Wayne Adams said.
It’s understood one of the owners sold his boat after 14 years just days earlier.
They were forced to break the news to the new owner when they came to complete the handover this morning.
Now there’s a major recovery mission to resurface the vessels.
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