SCOTTSBORO, AL — A fire at a Jackson County marina Sunday night has resulted in multiple fatalities. Authorities said eight people are confirmed dead and seven people have been hospitalized from the fire, which destroyed 35 boats.
The incident occurred late Sunday night and into Monday morning, just after midnight. Fire crews were called to the scene where boats were docked, most of them houseboats; as of 8 a.m., rescue crews remained on the scene searching for victims, according to a statement from the Jackson County Emergency Management Agency.
Scottsboro Fire Chief Gene Necklaus said as many as eight people are confirmed dead from the fire, and that the incident was one of the most devastating fires he has seen in his career. “And as we get more information, we expect this to be even worse,” Necklaus said in a press conference Monday.
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“I do ask that everybody remember the families at this time and the people involved in this on all levels,” Necklaus said. “Nineteen agencies in Alabama are involved, and multiple agencies have reached out to help. We have sufficient resources, but we have also received hundreds of communications from people and agencies on the state, local and federal level.”
Necklaus said the boats at the marina are used by some owners as a permanent residence, while other owners use theirs for weekend retreats, so the number of people who were in the boats during the blaze has not been determined. He said houseboats in particular are vulnerable to fire because of the amount of plastic, fuel and electronics inside.
Necklaus added that the Alabama Department of Environmental Management will lead the cleanup efforts for any hazardous materials that may be in the lake. He specified that none of the debris made its way to any of the river channels.
“We expect this to take three of four days, maybe longer,” Necklaus said of the investigation. “We are going to to check every vessel and do a thorough search, and we are going to continue to do so until every victim is accounted for.”
This report will be updated as more information is available.