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Huge Falmouth Boat Fire Leaves Woman With Serious Burns

FALMOUTH (CBS) – One woman was rushed to the hospital early Tuesday morning after a huge fire destroyed a boat in a Falmouth marina.

Flames broke out on the 65-foot catamaran in MacDougalls' Boatyard around 1:45 a.m. and quickly consumed the vessel, causing the mast to collapse into the water.

Gayle Kiley witnessed the fire.

"Directly outside of the window was just a giant mass of flames," she recalled. "Watching that mast go down, that was the loudest part."

falmouth boat fire
The 65-foot catamaran was destroyed in the fire. (Image credit: Gayle Kiley)

There were two members of the crew at the scene when firefighters arrived. A woman was flown to a Boston hospital suffering from burns. At last check, she is in stable condition.

The other person was not hurt. It's not clear yet if they were living on the boat.

"The crew was able to make it off of the boat with one member being treated and currently in stable condition. This is a tragic accident and we stand with the crew and support staff as they continue to work tirelessly to contain and repair the damage," MacDougalls' said in a statement.

falmouth boat fire
The 65-foot catamaran was destroyed in the fire. (Image credit: David Curran - SatelliteNewsService.com)

Falmouth Deputy Fire Chief Michael Small said there were 350 gallons of fuel on board and it is now leaking into the harbor.

"We can actually see the diesel fuel bubbling out of it," Small told reporters.

Absorbent pads were placed in the water the help soak up some of the fuel.

falmouth boat fire
The 65-foot catamaran was destroyed in the fire. (Photo credit: David Curran - SatelliteNewsService.com)

Small added that it would take a great deal of time to remove the boat. While crews worked on it for hours, he said officials didn't believe they would be finished on Tuesday.

There was no major damage to any other boats in the area.

falmouth boat fire
The 65-foot catamaran was destroyed in the fire. (WBZ-TV)

There's no word yet on what caused the fire.

Anyone headed to the marina Tuesday is asked to check into the office before going out on their boat. The Department of Environmental Protection also requested anyone planning to wash their boat to not use soap.

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