Two people suffered burns across more than 20 percent of their bodies Sunday after an explosion and fire on a 50-foot sailboat in Port Townsend prompted a large emergency response.
East Jefferson Fire Rescue responded at 11:58 a.m. to reports of an explosion on a sailboat in the Glen Cove neighborhood, just south of the mill. Vessel Assist received a rescue transmission from the occupants after they abandoned the burning vessel.
Rescuers found the two victims and their dog in a dinghy. Vessel Assist transported them to the fuel dock at Boat Haven where East Jefferson Fire Rescue paramedics were waiting. Both victims were flown to Harborview Medical Center’s Burn Unit. The condition of the dog was unknown.
The incident stretched emergency resources thin. East Jefferson Fire Rescue reached “status-zero” during the response, meaning all 911 resources were committed to emergency incidents with no units available for additional calls. The agency recalled all volunteers and off-duty firefighting personnel to staff fire stations.
East Jefferson Fire Rescue said its 911 units respond to multiple simultaneous calls almost a third of the time, occasionally resulting in status-zero situations. The U.S. Navy’s Engine 91 from Indian Island was assigned to a separate 911 call in Port Townsend during the incident. Other mutual aid partners, including Quilcene, Kitsap, and Clallam counties, were alerted but not needed.
The Department of Ecology and U.S. Coast Guard were notified. As of 2:15 p.m., Marine 1 continued fighting the sailboat fire.
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