A clean-up operation is underway after the 30.48 metre Hargrave motor yacht La Dolce Vita caught fire near Marquesas in Florida last week.
The yacht was destroyed in the fire, which was reported on Tuesday, March 16 by the captain. After alerting the coast guard, all six people on board were evacuated safely and escorted to shore by a Station Key West rescue crew.
The US Coast Guard is now overseeing a diesel spill clean-up operation in the area after it was revealed the yacht had close to 4,500 gallons of diesel on board at the time of the fire. It is currently unknown how much fuel was discharged into the water.
The yacht’s owner is taking responsibility to remove the diesel spill and dispatched a commercial salvage crew on Wednesday which deployed a boom to contain an area of water displaying a light sheen.
Coast Guard Sector Key West incident management supervisor Thomas Goggans said: “Right now, the Coast Guard's main concern is the environmental threat. The location of the fuel spill is within a National Marine Sanctuary and a US Fish and Wildlife Service Refuge.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation.