An early morning fire destroyed dozens of boats at Marker 37 Marina in Corpus Christi. No injuries were reported; the cause remains under investigation.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A massive early morning fire tore through dozens of boats docked at Marker 37 Marina along the Laguna Madre on Sunday, destroying what witnesses estimate to be the majority of vessels moored there just weeks before the start of the busy spring tourism season.
Officials confirmed no injuries were reported.
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The fire broke out before dawn at Marker 37 Marina, home to popular waterfront restaurants Snoopy’s Pier and Doc’s Seafood & Steaks.
Assistant Fire Chief Tony Perez with the Corpus Christi Fire Department said crews arrived to find multiple boats already heavily involved in flames.
“Anytime a fire spreads we want to put a stop to that as fast as we can,” Perez said. “But unfortunately when we arrived it was already well involved with multiple boats already burning, so at that point it’s just trying to stop it where it is and prevent further damage.”
The cause of the fire remains unknown and the investigation is ongoing. Perez said investigators will work to determine where the fire started, noting that typically the area with the most significant damage is one of the first places officials examine when pinpointing a potential origin.
While recent fires across the Coastal Bend have been fueled by strong winds, Perez said the sea breeze during this incident worked in firefighters’ favor.
“Actually, the wind direction worked in our favor this morning because it was taking the fire away from the restaurants out there,” he said.
David Ramacharan, who docks his commercial vessel at the marina, estimated that more than three-quarters of the boats in the affected area were destroyed.
“Our boat wasn’t affected fortunately,” Ramacharan said. “But most of the other boats all the way down toward the slip were affected.”
He said the loss could be devastating for local fishing guides who operate their businesses out of the marina.
“There are a lot of fishing guides who have their boats here and run their guide business out of here,” he said. “Even if you have insurance, that’s a big investment.”
Michael Tyler, owner of Buccaneer Cruises, said both of his boats narrowly avoided the flames and he expects to resume operations as soon as Tuesday. However, he noted that many guides impacted by the fire may face delays in receiving insurance payouts, potentially leaving them without income as thousands of visitors head to the Coastal Bend in the coming months.
Officials have not yet released an official count of the boats damaged or destroyed.