Federal and local agencies responded to an oil spill in Huntington Beach Harbor after a recreational vessel caught fire on Wednesday and sank in its slip, potentially releasing diesel fuel into the water, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach received a report at 2:10 p.m. that a 40-foot pleasure craft had caught fire at a residential dock in the 16000 block of Ardsley Circle.
Huntington Beach firefighters arrived at the scene and used firefighting foam to battle the blaze. The vessel later sank in its slip at about 4 p.m., according to the Coast Guard. Firefighters said they used a boat-mounted water cannon and hose lines to fight two boat fires, which were tied together. No one was aboard the boats.
Firefighters deployed containment booms and absorbent pads after diesel fuel began leaking from the vessel.
The Coast Guard, California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response, Huntington Beach Fire Department and Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol responded to the incident.
The Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach federal on-scene coordinator activated the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund and contracted an oil spill response organization to begin removing the spilled fuel.
The vessel has a maximum estimated fuel and oil capacity of 520 gallons. The amount of fuel that was discharged into the harbor has not been determined.
No injuries or impacts to wildlife have been reported, according to the Coast Guard.
The cause of the fire and the amount of fuel released remain under investigation as cleanup efforts continue.
The Coast Guard, California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response, Huntington Beach Fire Department and Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol responded to the incident Wednesday.