By reporter Steven Smalley
A column of black smoke billowing from the bow of a 100 ft. tug boat, Sampson Mariner, was clearly visible from the Ballard Bridge this afternoon as firefighters scrambled to stop the blaze.
The fire was apparently contained within a storage compartment below deck which held supplies of paint, according to Kyle Moore, spokesperson for the Seattle Fire Department.
“We started putting water on this fire and realized the best way to put it out was to close up the compartment and just smother it,” he explained. “(The tug crew) tried to put the fire out themselves, but were unable to, so they called the fire department.”
More than a dozen pieces of fire equipment were on-scene including a fire boat, ladder trucks, and medic units.
With the fire quickly extinguished, all that was left for personnel was the mop up.
Everyone on the tugboat was able to safely escape the burning vessel.
Fire investigators were called to determine the exact cause. Witnesses report welding was the suspected cause of the blaze.