Image Credit: Miami Fire and Rescue

A fire broke out aboard the 24.5-metre VisionF 82 yacht Flagship, at the RMK Merrill-Stevens Yachts shipyard in Miami yesterday (Sunday, 28 April). The multihull was only delivered from the Turkish shipyard last year.

Miami City firefighters tackled a substantial blaze aboard an 82-foot yacht that erupted on Sunday afternoon. The operation involved over 34 units and more than 100 firefighters.

The Miami Fire Department received multiple calls about the fire around 10:50 a.m. The VisionF 82 yacht was engulfed in flames by the time firefighters arrived at the shipyard.

The firefighters faced a serious challenge in extinguishing the blaze due to low visibility caused by billowing smoke and the complexity of the situation. A second alarm was requested as a result, and firefighters extended hose lines into the covered structure to combat the blaze.

Lt. Pete Sanchez oversaw the operation and explained to NBC6 news that the yacht had solar power panels on its roof and had electrical batteries, which fuelled the blaze further.

“Other crews assisted with removing the surrounding yachts out of the area to limit exposure,” Sanchez adds. “Within an hour the fire was under control and all exposures were protected from sustaining any damage.”

The Hazardous Materials Team and a fireboat executed a foam operation to extinguish the flames. Fortunately, no one was on board the yacht when the fire started, and no damage was caused to any other vessels.

Investigations into the cause of the blaze are ongoing.

Profile links

RMK Merrill-Stevens

Click here to become part of The Superyacht Group community, and join us in our mission to make this industry accessible to all, and prosperous for the long-term. We are offering access to the superyacht industry’s most comprehensive and longstanding archive of business-critical information, as well as a comprehensive, real-time superyacht fleet database, for just £10 per month, because we are One Industry with One Mission. Sign up here.