On Sunday afternoon at around 2.30 pm, a fire broke out in Zug harbour and quickly spread to several boats. Three sailing boats and two motorboats were affected. One motorboat and one sailboat sank due to the severe fire damage.
The volunteer fire brigade of the city of Zug was able to prevent the flames from spreading to other boats. Despite the dramatic scenes, fortunately no one was injured.
Technical defect as possible cause of fire
According to investigations by the Zug police so far, the fire broke out on a motorboat on which four people were travelling - two adults and two children. All were able to get to safety in time. The fire brigade set up an oil barrier in the affected harbour area to contain the leaked fuel and engine oil. A total of 60 members of the volunteer fire brigade from the city of Zug were deployed.
Firefighting on board
According to initial findings, the Zug police believe that the fire was caused by a technical defect. It has not yet been possible to quantify the material damage caused, but it is estimated to be considerable. The salvage of the sunken ships is to take place in the next few days.
Fire after deflagration
Another boat fire occurred yesterday morning at around 10.25 a.m. on the Claassee near Rechlin. A deflagration had occurred on a pleasure boat there. After launching the boat, the owner started the engine. The boat was at the jetty at the time. Suddenly, for reasons still unknown, a deflagration occurred in the engine compartment.
The skipper saved himself by jumping into the water. The fire then completely destroyed the boat and spread to the nearby boathouse. As a result, two other smaller boats were also damaged.
The alerted firefighters from Rechlin were able to extinguish the fire quickly. The owner suffered a slight shock. The criminal investigation department and the Waren water police filed charges of negligent arson and water pollution. The property damage amounts to around 100,000 euros.
