Mystery Over Lake Mead Fire That Engulfed 26 Boats

An investigation has been launched after a fire at Lake Mead, Nevada, burned 26 boats.

Eleven boats were destroyed and two people injured in the blaze at the Las Vegas Boat Harbor, according to Boating Lake Mead.

Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the U.S., and is a key water source, supplying water to Arizona, California, and Nevada, as well as parts of Mexico.

The fire broke out at around 12:30 am local time on Sunday.

“It was pretty devastating,” harbor owner Gail Kaiser told Fox5 Vegas.

People were evacuated from boats as the fire spread across the R and I wings of the dock, said Kaiser.

“It was horrific,” said Kaiser, “we’re looking down saying, ‘There goes our business.'”

“It looked like the entire thing was on fire. In actuality, it was a small portion.”

Kaiser and her daughter started evacuating people, some of whom were staying on their boats overnight.

“If it was a Tuesday night, maybe so many people wouldn’t be here, but on a Saturday night, especially with the nice weather and the warm finally getting here, people were here using their boats, and they do spend the nights here.”

Fire investigators deployed underwater cameras on Monday in an attempt to assess the damage and identify how the fire started. The cause of the fire currently remains a mystery.

Clark County Fire and the National Parks Service were contacted for comment.

According to Kaiser, one of the injured people was suffering burns and the other was a firefighter who refused treatment for smoke inhalation.

Kaiser is anxious to get back to the damaged wings and assess the damage. “We won’t know until we can get out there and start our process,” she said.

Most of the marina is open to the public, with the affected R and I wings taped off and monitored by National Parks Service rangers.

Management instructed customers with damaged boats to fill out the Nevada Department of Wildlife self-reporting form and submit to Boating Lake Mead.

Affected boat owners were also encouraged to contact their insurance companies to make a claim for damage.

At maximum capacity, Lake Mead is 112 miles long and contains 28.23 million acre-feet of water.

However the reservoir has remained below full capacity since 1986, with concerns of future water shortages.

Lake Mead is a popular area for boating, and Las Vegas Boat Harbor is one of four marinas located on Lake Mead. The other marinas are: Lake Mead Marina, Nevada, Callville Bay, Nevada and Temple Bar, Arizona.