8 Deaths, Dozens Of Boats Destroyed In Midnight Marina Fire

At least eight people were killed early Monday in an explosive fire that consumed dozens of vessels docked at a marina along the Tennessee River in northern Alabama.

Scottsboro Fire Chief Gene Necklaus said all eight people who were known to be missing have been confirmed dead, and “that number could go up, because we don’t know how many were on boats” that sank.

The fire began just after midnight at Jackson County Park Marina and quickly consumed the dock as people were sleeping.

The wooden dock at at least 35 vessels went up in flames and an aluminum roof that covered many of the boats melted and collapsed, cutting off escape routes and raining debris over the area as boaters leaped into the river.

“It was scary. The worst thing for me is you could hear people screaming for help, and there was nothing we could do. Nobody could do anything to get to them,” said Julie Jackson, who lives with her husband and son in a houseboat on another dock that did not burn at the marina.