Fourteen vessels at the Island Marine boat yard on Marina Street in Gros Islet were damaged or destroyed in a fire.
Emergency crews from the Gros Islet and Babonneau fire stations and Saint Lucia Fire Service Headquarters in Castries responded after receiving a distress call in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.
Fire service spokeswoman Stacy Joseph said the responders found five boats in flames.
But Joseph explained that given the nature of the material and fuel stored on the vessels, the fire spread rapidly, eventually affecting fourteen boats before the responders controlled and extinguished the flames.
According to reports, firefighters battled the fire for about six hours.
A company spokesman disclosed that a security guard on duty noticed a fire in one of the vessels and summoned the fire service.
But the spokesman told St Lucia Times that the fire quickly spread.
He said Island Marine employs about fifteen people doing boat maintenance, repairs, sales and administrative duties.
“The objective is to get the business back on its feet,” the official stated.
He pointed out that although the fire affected the boat storage area, it had not impacted the ‘nerve’ of the company’s operations.
As a result, the service centre and boat haulage equipment were intact.
Reports indicate that two dogs in the boat yard died in the fire.
