Burning on water: Luxurious houseboats burst into flames on Center Hill Lake
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The cause of the fire is still under investigation. According to Smithville fire officials, it apparently started in one of the houseboats docked on Pier 5 and spread to others nearby. All of the houseboats that were considered a total loss were on Pier 5, Dock J, while the boats suffering partial damage were on Pier 5, Dock K.
The dock itself suffered major damage, but no one was injured and the marina offices and restaurant were unaffected.
“Nobody was out there,” said marina employee Jessica Patrick. “That was our main concern. We were so worried, but there was no one on the dock at the time.”
Patrick said it was somewhat lucky the dock was deserted since, even at this time of year, that pier is usually used regularly.
“Actually that was one of our piers that people came down and stayed on,” she said. “They’d cook dinner. They’d still come up here.”
Willie Hale, who is the DeKalb County Jail administrator and a nearby resident, said the explosions were loud enough to awaken him from sleep.
“It was like a boom, boom, boom,” said Hale. “I don’t know why it was doing that. I don’t know if it was gas cans, propane or what.
“It woke me up. I looked out the window. Dispatch called and asked if anything was going on and I said yes, get everybody you can down here. We have a fire.
“I ran down to the dock,” continued Hale. “But there wasn’t anything I could do. It was already too hot.”
Center Hill Marina, located on Cove Hollow Circle, is one of the larger boat docks on Center Hill Lake, with more than 500 rental spots available.
Officials said the fire was reported around 2 a.m. yesterday morning, with the DeKalb County Fire Department quickly responding, along with several other emergency units from the area. According to WJLE news, DeKalb County Fire Chief Donnie Green said the speedy response averted what could have been a major disaster.
“If it had not been for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the DeKalb County Rescue Squad, and the Putnam County fire Department, we would have had a whole lot more of these piers damaged. They got their boats down here quickly and helped us pull several burning boats out into the main channel that were drifting toward other piers.”
Patrick said the blaze was actually reported by an individual driving by the docks who spotted the fire.
“At 2 a.m. a passerby on the road above us saw a bright light and reported it,” she said. “Then at 2:30, the people who live down here heard the explosions and by the time they got here it was up in flames.”
Patrick said several houseboat owners from Warren County dock at the marina but it is not known at this point if any of them had boats on the damaged pier.