Yacht Full of Fireworks, Ammunition Explodes in Dramatic Footage

Residents of the Los Angeles seaside community Marina del Rey got quite the show on Wednesday night, after a 100-foot yacht docked in the harbor became engulfed in flames due to a precarious combination of fireworks and live ammunition exploding from the vessel.

According to KTLA 5 News, emergency responders from the Los Angeles County Fire Department were called about reports of the fire shortly after 8:30 p.m. At the time, there were reportedly two passengers onboard who were able to escape the blaze unharmed, and the owner of the yacht told firefighters that there were 1,000 rounds of ammunition stored on the starboard side of the ship.

The out of control flames were seen in footage posted to the Citizen App. However, as crews got to work attempting to contain the fire before it could spread to nearby boats and other structures, the fireworks began popping off, making attempts to put out the blaze even more difficult.

Eventually, firefighters were able to extinguish the worst of the flames. But even then, dense black smoke could be seen emanating from the large boat, named The Admiral, with the fire still burning below deck where the ammunition was presumably being stored.

Aerial footage taken by news chopper showed that The Admiral had sustained heavy damage in the fire. Just before 10:30 p.m., the vessel began to sink due to the water from firehoses causing it to take on water in addition to the damage to the ship. To prevent any contaminants such as diesel fuel from leaking into the marina, first responders set up a boom in the area around the boat.

It's unclear how the fire started, and the cause is currently under investigation. But thankfully, no injuries were reported from either passengers or emergency personnel.