Smoke visible from the Carole B at Petersburg’s South Harbor at approximately 7:00 p.m. on November 13, 2024. (Photo courtesy of Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department)

Petersburg volunteer firefighters put out a blaze on a fishing vessel in the community’s South Harbor around 7:00 p.m. on November 13.

Nobody was aboard the approximately 65-foot tender boat, Carole B, when it caught fire, and no firefighters were hurt in the response. 

At around 5:30 p.m., a local volunteer EMT who was passing through the area noticed smoke and flames erupting from the vessel’s galley. They called the police, who summoned two fire engines and 15 firefighters, as well as an ambulance and a PVFD work truck.

Assistant Fire Chief Dave Berg said, once on the scene, the crew moved an adjacent boat to get it out of harm’s way. Altogether, it took them about an hour and a half to completely extinguish the fire. 

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, but Berg suspects it was started by a miniature heater onboard. 

The extent of the damage inside the vessel is currently unknown — but Berg said, at the very least, there was extensive smoke damage. 

Emergency vehicles clustered around the north entrance of Petersburg’s South Harbor on November 13, 2024.
(Photo by Shelby Herbert/KFSK)