Starnberg: At around 2.46 p.m. on 25 September, the rescue coordination centre received an emergency call about a boat on fire: It was located near St. Heinrich in the southern part of Lake Starnberg on a buoy in the buoy field. The alerted fire brigades and water rescue organisations called in began extinguishing the fire. Meanwhile, an attempt was made to tow the boat towards Seeshaupt. However, it began to sink, so the crew of the towing fireboat had to cut the line.
The sailing boat sank while being towed - if we hadn't cut the line, we would have sunk with it", Christoph Knobloch, commander of the Tutzing fire brigade
The Starnberg police said that although the lake was not thought to be contaminated, the crews of the fire boats fished all kinds of burnt rubbish out of the water. The Tutzing fire brigade commander described that many charred pieces of wood, life jackets and other objects were floating in a radius of 50 to 70 metres: This resulted in ten full rubbish bags. 50 firefighters and helpers were deployed to fight the fire and prevent environmental damage.
The police assume that neither oil nor fuel leaked during the fire, as the sailing boat was equipped with an electric motor. Nevertheless, a specialised company is to begin salvaging the wreck as soon as possible. It is currently lying at a depth of around 15 metres. Fire investigators from the criminal investigation department will also be involved in securing the remains of the boat; they currently suspect a technical defect as the cause of the fire. Nevertheless, according to the police, all possible causes are being considered.
Suspected arson in the harbour of Waase on Ummanz
According to initial investigations, the police have a different view of a fire in the harbour of Waase/Rügen: Late in the evening, the Saßnitz water police were informed that a sailing boat was on fire in the harbour on Ummanz. According to the police, the "Neptun" suffered total economic damage totalling around 15,000 euros. The neighbouring boat was also damaged by the "Neptun's" mast falling over. According to initial reports, the damage there totalled around 2,000 euros.
The destroyed boat is now lying aground in shallow water. According to police reports to YACHT, a fire investigator was called in to determine the cause of the fire, but as things stand, the suspicion of arson can neither be confirmed nor refuted. In addition to fighting the fire, an oil barrier was set up by the fire brigade to prevent extensive environmental damage.
