The Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service is investigating a blaze that broke out in the St George’s boatyard yesterday morning.

Witnesses described the sight of safety flares that launched into the sky and estimated that about 40 boats were engulfed in flames at the height of the blaze.

It was thought that the wind direction prevented greater damage at the site.

At about 3.30am, the BFRS and Bermuda Police Service were dispatched to a report of several boats on fire at the Boatport Boat Storage facility on Wellington Slip Road, St George’s.

Motorists who live in the area were advised to use caution, as the normally one-way road operated on a two-way system.

Odell Sewell said he heard loud noises outside his house, which is about 300ft from the boatyard.

He told The Royal Gazette: “I was the first resident here. I was in my house and could hear loud bangs after and could hear fire trucks outside.

“Just after 3am, I looked out and could see fire and smoke, I came outside and could see firefighters and a few police.

“Everything was on fire, I was like, wow! Tanks were blowing up, all the fibreglass was melting, flares were shooting up.

“The fire bounced across the boats and one by one they set on fire. Luckily the wind was up and took the smoke off shore. I couldn't smell it as the wind kept it out.”

Junior Caisey, who was manager of the boatyard for six years before he relocated to Britain in 2020, was “gutted”.

Speaking from England, he said: “I’m passionate about that place. I put my heart and soul into it.

“That rack that burnt had about 50 boats on it. I saw that yard grow, from when there were only about a dozen boats there. I'm gutted.”

He added: “I met my wife through that yard, I gained friendships — people are devastated.”

Mr Caisey said that William Lawrence, one of the yard’s owners, is a good boss, “one of the best I had in my life”.

Neil Fox, another nearby resident, also watched events unfold in the early hours.

He said: “There are probably 40 boats gone. It’s terrible to see something like this, at least no one was hurt.

“I thought it might have been a lightning strike at first, but you would have heard the strike.

“It’s lucky we had the wind as all these power lines would have been damaged and we would have lost power. All the houses were spared too.”

Firefighters remained on the scene well in to the morning and continued to hose the remnants of boats, which were still smoking on the bottom level of the rack. Police were on scene mainly to direct traffic.

If the BFRS suspects foul play, the BPS could be asked to join the investigation.

Mark Moran is the service manager at AP Marine — the dealers for Grady-White boats, Chaparral Boats, Yamaha Outboard Engines and Garmin electronics.

He said that boats belonging to customers of the Pembroke business were lost in the fire.

Mr Moran said: “I know some of the owners. We had at least seven boats there on the rack that belong to customers of ours. We had at least seven Grady-Whites with Yamahas on the rack. Boatport Boat Storage is for storage and we are dealers.

“We have customers who keep their boats there, so they don’t have to pay as much for moorings and they don’t have to paint bottom of the boat, as it’s not sitting in the water. People keep their boats there all year round. It’s an active storage use area.”

AP Marine posted a photo of the rack that suffered the fire, taken about a year ago.

Further updates are expected to be provided by BFRS in due course.

Photo gallery