The 14m sailboat Lavsa, owned by OTP Leasing and managed by a company from Pula 'Adriatic Yacht Charter', caught fire on Saturday, July 1, reports Slobodna Dalmacija.
"It was terrifying. We were just preparing to go shopping to stock our sailboat for a seven-day cruise, and suddenly there was panic in the marina. People started screaming, we were trying to see what's happening, and then at one moment thick black smoke appeared above the mast, spreading an unbearable stench around the marina. It wasn't until then, as we were making our way through the crowd, that we saw the boat was on fire, and the blaze was spreading quickly. We stopped dead in our tracks and watched the gorgeous boat burn", said three tourists (Catherine, Mary and Jude) about the drama that took place in Kaštel Gomilica around 11 AM.
The boat allegedly caught fire due to a technical malfunction. Owing to the quick reaction from the marina staff and other experienced sailors present, situation was under control soon thereafter. They prevented what would've been a greater catastrophe, as a large number of berths is currently occupied and the fire would have certainly spread to neighbouring boats.
Director of the nautical complex in Kaštel Marija Bojić expressed her gratitude to the firefighters from Kaštel Gomilica who were quick to arrive to the site on their fireboat. "Thanks to our sailors, but also to the guys from charter companies in the area, we prevented the fire spreading to other vessels. They followed the fire control plan, cut the ropes tying the sailboat to the pier and hauled her out of the marina. Fortunately, when the boat caught fire, nobody was present on deck, so the whole incident didn't have anyone injured", said Bojić.
Hundreds of locals and tourists watched the firemen fight the blaze about 300 metres away from the shore. Built only last year, Lavsa was worth HRK 1.2 million. All that was left of her after the fire was a small part, floating for a short time, then sinking to the bottom of the Kaštel bay.
Take a look at the footage filmed by a spectator in the marina, showing the early moments soon after the boat caught fire:
