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DELAND - A fire ravaged 30 boats at a marina Friday, sending 28 of them to the bottom where they leaked gas and oil that almost reached the St. John River's fish-rich water. One man was seriously injured.
The early morning blaze at the Boat Show Marina - where dozens of fishing vessels and houseboats are docked - also destroyed three buildings and three cars. Damage was estimated at $5-million, State Fire Marshal Capt. Wayne Petrovics said. The cause had not been determined.
One man was initially listed as missing, but authorities later contacted him.
The fire began about 2 a.m. and burned for more than five hours, Volusia County spokeswoman Mary Dorn said.
"When I looked out of my little port hole, I thought everything was on fire around me. All I could see was orange," boat owner Don Luken said. "I walked up to the wheelhouse of the boat and the heat was coming right through my windshield. I could feel it standing 4 feet back. I grabbed my money, my phone and my dog and we got out of here."
A boat owner who helped save a neighbor suffered third- and second-degree burns to his hand and shoulder and a severely injured foot from stepping on glass, Dorn said. He was listed in stable condition at Orlando Regional Medical Center on Friday afternoon.
A second person was treated at the scene and released, Dorn said.
Officials said about five other people lived in the destroyed houseboats and were not injured. All residents had to be evacuated to a shelter at a nearby church.
There was barely any trace of the sunken boats after the fire.