Community Police & Fire

Oil-soaked rags started 2022 fire on $1.5 million yacht

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Pierce County Fire Marshal’s Office believe that oil-soaked rags caused a fire that destroyed a $1.5 million yacht at the Peninsula Yacht Basin last year.

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NTSB posted its report on the fire this week.

Nobody was injured in the fire. Firefighters from Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One and other agencies contained the damage to the yacht where it started.

Damage to the 78-foot yacht after the fire on July 15, 2022.

No electrical or mechanical problems

Security camera footage revealed that the fire started around 2 a.m. on July 15, 2022. Nobody noticed it until about 3 a.m., when a passerby called 911.

The owner of the 78-foot boat, dubbed the Pegasus, told investigators that he believed an errant firework must have started the fire. But the security footage showed no activity around the Pegasus in the hours before the fire.

Investigators found no evidence of any problems in the vessel’s electrical or mechanical systems that could have started a fire.

Rags soaked in teak oil

However, the boat owner told investigators that he and an employee had spent the afternoon before the fire refinishing teak surfaces. This involved brushing an oil-based finish onto the surface, then wiping it dry with microfiber rags.

At the end of the day, the employee wrapped the oily rags up in clean rags, placed them in a plastic bag, and stored them under a deck table so they wouldn’t blow away.

The NTSB report notes that fine print on the product’s label warned that rags soaked with the oil “may spontaneously catch fire if improperly discarded. Immediately after each use, place rags, steel wool or waste in a sealed water-filled metal container.”

According to information from the National Fire Protection Association, cited in the NTSB report:

“The oils commonly used in oil-based paints and stains release heat as they dry. If the heat is not released in the air, it builds up. That is why a pile of oily rags can be dangerous. As the rags dry, the heat is trapped. The heat builds up and finally causes a fire.”

Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One responded to a boat fire at a marina on North Harborview Drive early on Friday, July 15.