It took nearly four hours to contain a blaze that destroyed a 56-foot wooden boat at Demen's Landing, said Lt. Joel Granata of St. Petersburg Fire and Rescue.
No one was been injured and no other property was threatened by the fire. No one was onboard, Granata said, and the slips on either side of the boat were vacant. Betty and William Satler are listed as the boat's owners.
There was an explosion when firefighters arrived at about 1:48 p.m. as a liquid petroleum tank onboard blew up, Granata said. He said booms were floated around the ship to contain any petroleum leaks, but no leaks occurred.
Firefighters used two boats and two hand lines to spray water and foam on the fire.
Granata said firefighters had to take axes and chainsaws to the boat's upper deck to reach fires that burned below it.
He said firefighters had to make sure they weren't flooding the boat with water to keep it from sinking.
He said a tow boat was on hand if needed.
Granata said the fire was ruled under control at 5:19 p.m., though crews remained at the scene to continue to prevent any sparks from rekindling.
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