Fire destroys vessels, boat dock at Lake Texoma

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A major fire destroyed a boat dock and damaged several boats on Lake Texoma Wednesday morning.

It happened at the Highport Marina in Pottsboro, which is about an hour and a half north of Dallas. Fuel tanks and oil burned for hours, destroying about 15 to 20 boats. But there were no injuries.

For Ann and Keith Graumann there was a bit of relief -- they spotted their boat away from the fire.

"We drove around and saw that ours is a couple of docks away,” Keith said. “We’re thankful Highport did that for us.”

A ramp leading to the docked boats at Highport Marina also caught fire, making access for firefighters even more difficult.

"Because we're lots of volunteer departments in this area the response time wasn't as quick, by the time we could get engines on scene the fire had already spread to multiple boats,” said Trenton Gray, North Texas Regional Airport FD.

People on the scene estimated the total damage was likely in the millions.

 

“We would like to sincerely thank the first responders who were on the scene, as well as our employees and customers who were at the marina and helped keep others safely away from the fire,” Highport Marina said.

The marina plans to work with boat owners who will now have to move, repair or replace their vessels.

Officials plan to monitor and respond to any potential adverse affects to the water quality at the lake.

The fire department is still investigating the cause of the fire.