Adelaide firefighters contain blaze on sailboat at North Haven Marina

A man has suffered burns at a western suburbs marina, with a witness describing attempts to save the pleasure cruiser.

A fire broke out on a 13m sailing vessel docked at North Haven marina, with a person treated for facial burns.

Emergency services were called just after 11.45am on Saturday morning, after what one witness reported as “three or four bangs” sounding in a row.

The staff member at Palermo Cafe Ristorante, about 100m away on the waterfront, said the flames were still visible as of 12.15pm and that smoke had “covered most of the marina”.

A sailing boat caught on fire at North Haven marina on Saturday, February 1. Picture: Friends of Grange Beach and Tennyson / J. Nolan

Picture: Dean Martin

Firefighters survey the burnt out hull. Picture: Dean Martin

Another witness, Georgia Long, 31, said that dozens of onlookers had stopped to watch the fire unfold.

“I could hear that small explosion, and initially I saw two people trying to put out the fire on their own with a hose,” Ms Long said.

“It became apparent that they needed the firefighters... Close by, all the other fishermen on the boats started to realise what was going on and started yelling, ‘Fire, fire’.

“I’ve never seen the (marina) carpark so full. Everyone on the path, people just going on walks, they just stopped.”

A man in his 60s was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital with minor facial injuries, according to an SA Ambulance Service spokeswoman, while two other people received medical attention at the scene.

Six firefighting appliances were dispatched and crews took 40 minutes to control the blaze, working quickly in order to prevent flammable materials from combusting, according to a Metropolitan Fire Service spokeswoman.

The spokeswoman said while the pleasure cruiser, reportedly worth $500,000, was “fully engulfed” upon arrival, the fire had been contained to the vessel of origin, while adjacent boats suffered “minor damage”.

A smoke alert was issued, with winds moving in a north-easterly direction, and nearby residents have been urged to keep their windows closed and monitor for smoke inhalation symptoms.

A fire cause investigator attended the scene, but the vessel could not be safely boarded due to structural damage, and the total damage bill is still unknown.

Originally published as Adelaide firefighters contain blaze on sailboat at North Haven Marina