BOAT FIRE: Burning Boat Shoved Away From Dock, Extinguished By Fireboat

LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. — A boat fire could have been much worse, were it not for the quick action of boaters, Saturday night, May 28.

According to Lake Ozark Fire Protection District Chief Mark Amsinger, the boat started smoking while it was sitting in a dock slip, at the 3 Mile Marker, in Glencove cove. It was later discovered the fire originated in the engine compartment.

Boaters on the dock were able to push the boat out of the slip, away from the dock, into the cove. Meanwhile, emergency personnel were called.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol and Lake Ozark Fire Protection District responded by boat. A Highway Patrol boat was able to pull the boat further into the cove, where a Lake Ozark Fire boat extinguished the fire. The charred boat was still floating and eventually secured back at the dock after the fire was extinguished. 

No injuries were reported.

Amsinger said it was — unsurprisingly — a busy weekend for LOFPD, both on land and water. "Everything from car accidents to boat accidents to medical emergencies" had crews rushing from one incident to the next, he said. Memorial Day weekend is considered to be the busiest weekend of the year at Lake of the Ozarks, as second-home owners and vacationers show up en masse to kick off the summer boating season.