LAKE POWELL, AZ — More than half a dozen houseboats momentarily caught fire at a popular boating destination on the Utah-Arizona line on Friday, igniting while tourists and jet skiers stood by before the flames were extinguished.
Viewer video shows boats in two separate areas of the Wahweap Marina.
Robert Wilkes, the owner of Skylite Houseboat Management, said the fire began in the early afternoon and grew for about an hour and a half. Wilkes, a trained firefighter, used a garden hose and worked with park rangers, who he said arrived soon after the boats ignited, to help put out the fire.
“I started pulling boats off the dock trying to create a gap so it didn’t act like a tree line,” he said.
"Smoke was coming out of the front window and I ran over to open the front door, so yelled inside to ask if anyone was in there," said Benjamin Ferier, who was at the marina when the fire broke out. "Within about 60 seconds, the whole boat was engulfed in flames with orange flames in the sky."
It is unclear what caused the fire or if there are any injuries.
Wilkes said he had not heard of anyone injured. But he said one of his management company’s boats had been destroyed.
Lake officials say the fire has been completely extinguished and is under control.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
This is a developing story. Stay with abc15.com for the latest updates.
