GALVESTON — The Galveston Yacht Basin is fully engulfed in flames. Several of the 125 sailboats housed at the end of Holiday Drive are on fire, Capt. Henry Porretto of the Galveston Police Department said.
The fire department sent two companies to respond to the blaze, but the water is too deep for them to get any closer than one block away, fire Chief Mike Varela said.
Although the fire could spread to other structures in the immediate area, officials do not believe any other part of the city is in danger. But the heavy smoke has drifted over the entire East End, making it look much more widespread than it really is.
University of Texas Medical Branch facilities are probably safe, Varela said.
Varela said he assumed the fire was related to the weather, but firefighters could not get close enough to know for sure. The fire is feeding on the fuel of several boats.
