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Arson Investigators Looking Into Boat Fires In Lynn Marina

LYNN (CBS) --- Fire investigators are looking into reports of recent break-ins at a Lynn marina where five boats went up in flames early Sunday morning.

"We had water on fire," explains Lynn District Police Chief Arthur Richard. "The gasoline was leaking and the water was burning."

Richard said hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of boats were destroyed, and there wasn't much firefighters could do.

They were able to douse a few boats tied to the dock at the Stoneham Boat Center, causing them to sink. A couple of others floated up the Saugus River while they were still engulfed.

Witnesses said it was a spectacle.

"I imagined it was a Viking funeral pyre," said Richard. "It could have gotten stuck under a bridge, light a bridge on fire, could strike another boat."

Fortunately the loose boats ended up in isolated spots on the river banks, and no one was injured.

The marina owner said there have been several recent boat break-ins on the property.

Fire investigators say they're looking into whether those incidents are related to the fire.

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