Los Angeles Yacht Explodes With Thousands of Pounds of Ammo, Fireworks, and Fuel

Marina del Rey, California (gCaptain) In the early evening Wednesday a yacht explosion in Los Angeles County, transformed from a tranquil harbor to a chaotic disaster zone. The Admiral, a 100-foot luxury yacht, caught fire and sank after a series of deafening explosions. Onboard, nearly 1,000 rounds of fireworks and ammunition turned the vessel into a ticking time bomb, igniting a blaze that resisted firefighters’ best efforts and ultimately the yacht sunk leading to a 4,000-gallon diesel spill in the heart of Basin A.

“I saw it fully engulfed in flames and like many of us living here heard an explosion and saw fireworks coming from the yacht club, and more flames and then walked down here and captured video of it,” Marina del Rey resident Lynn Rose told ABC news.

Luckily the boat was tied up to the dock and no serious injuries have been reported but the dramatic sinking of The Admiral will likely remind Californians of the tragedy of the dive yacht MV Conception, which burned and sank off the coast of Santa Cruz Island on September 2, 2019. Thirty-four lives were lost in that incident, and the captain was sentenced to years in prison. Both vessels were floating fire hazards—one with a bunker of fireworks, the other with sleeping quarters that became a death trap when a fire broke out below deck. In both cases, the question is not just why the fires started but why they became unmanageable so quickly.

“Our Coast Guard team was able to transition quickly from a fire response to an oil spill response, which allowed us to ensure we had the right people and resources mobilized,” said Capt. Stacey L. Crecy, the Coast Guard’s Federal On-Scene Coordinator. “We were able to deploy containment and collection equipment as soon as it was safe to do so to mitigate the impacts from the discharge of diesel from the vessel after it became submerged.”  

Also read: NTSB Releases Preliminary Report into Conception Boat Fire

It’s too early for The Admiral incident to tell us anything specific, but it’s clear not all Californians have gotten the message about the M/V Conception fire and the dangers surrounding boat fires. Fireworks, ammunition, and gallons of diesel packed into a vessel in a crowded marina—with no immediate oversight or regulation leaves, once again, the Coast Guard and other agencies are left cleaning up, both literally and figuratively. Additionally, air monitoring is being conducted within the area.

“A CDFW-OSPR environmental scientist is on scene working to monitor and limit impacts to environmental resources and sensitive sites,” said Christian Corbo, California’s On-Scene Coordinator. “Currently, there are no impacts to environmentally sensitive sites or species.”

In the aftermath, the Coast Guard acted swiftly, deploying 2,000 feet of boom to contain the spill, and began an extensive cleanup operation that could take days. But the question remains: Why do we keep finding ourselves reacting to preventable disasters rather than preventing them?

Updated: January 18, 2025 (Originally published September 20, 2024)

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