CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — Fire department units responded to a significant commercial fire at 13501 SPID near Marker 37, where a fire consumed more than 200 feet of dock infrastructure and multiple boats.
The fire department was initially dispatched to a reported commercial fire. Upon arrival, firefighters encountered an already well-developed fire that had engulfed sections of the marina docks and several boats. Officials said, luckily, no structures caught fire.
Weston Beseda, fire chief of Nueces County ESD 2, tells KRIS 6 that crews were called to the scene around 3:45 a.m. on Monday.
"We're not sure how the fire started. We received calls at approximately 3:45 this morning that Marker 37 was on fire. I was the first unit to arrive with another fire truck. We determined that the marina itself was on fire. The boats and the docks were on fire, but not the actual restaurant, not Snoopy's or the ice cream parlor," Beseda said.
According to Beseda some boat owners had already arrived at the marina hoping to check on their vessels, but officials are asking for patience.
"We have received some phone calls and some people arrived that are boat owners. We understand that people want to get to their boats and check the status, but we're going to keep people away from the area until we can safely allow for people to assess their own vessels," he said.
The timeline for when the area may reopen remains unclear, he added.
"That's undetermined right now. We still have crews on scene that are going through hot spots still trying to ensure that no other fires rekindled. The investigators are on scene. They're working right now, so we want to make sure that we get all of the due diligence and the task complete before we let people inside," Beseda said.
Multiple agencies responded to the fire, including the U.S. Coast Guard, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), Texas General Land Office (GLO), and all city services.
Fire crews expect to remain on scene for several hours, conducting overhaul operations to ensure the fire is completely extinguished. Overhaul operations are critical in dock fires due to the potential for hidden hotspots in wooden structures and the proximity to water and marine fuels.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, and the investigation is ongoing. No injuries have been reported at this time.
