Video shows $2.5m luxury yacht engulfed in flames

The yacht caught fire in a popular tourist area, sparking a flurry of photos and video footage on social media.

A luxury yacht was destroyed by fire at a popular mooring in the U.S. Virgin Islands on Tuesday.

The 85ft Positive Energy yacht was moored at the Yacht Haven Grande marina when the blaze broke out on board in the early afternoon.

No one was harmed in the inferno that sent up huge plumes of acrid black smoke for hours in the Charlotte Amalie Harbor, the largest in St Thomas.

Traffic was reportedly rerouted from the marina to the federal building on the St Thomas waterfront as the yacht continued to burn late into the afternoon.

The marina’s staff and security team were the first to respond but were outmatched by the intensity of the fire, that eventually reduced the $2.5m yacht to ashes.

Personnel from Norwegian Cruise Line and MSC Cruises assisted the Virgin Islands Fire Service in battling the inferno, and the US Coast Guard towed the yacht to a safer location to prevent the fire from spreading to the other yachts and ships docked nearby.

According to a statement from Government House, the office of the Governor of the Caribbean archipelago: “St Thomas firefighters spent several hours fighting the fire from the shoreline, after the vessel had been positioned to avoid damage to surrounding marine assets, to include several cruise ships in the vicinity. Chief Wheatley said there were no injuries associated with the fire. He also indicated that traffic along the St. Thomas waterfront was again flowing normally after having been re-routed away from the blaze.”

“I am proud of the effort made by our firefighters and other responders today,” Acting Governor Osbert Potter said. “By containing this fire to the one vessel where it apparently started we averted what could have been a tragedy and, most importantly, no one was injured.”

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