Fire sinks boats at Lake Mead

Thursday, March 6, 2003 | 11:19 a.m.

Divers were searching the waters near the Lake Mead Marina this morning looking for anyone who might have been on one of nine boats sunk or damaged by a Wednesday night fire, a park spokeswoman said.

No one had been reported missing and the were no reports of injuries or deaths as of 10:45 this morning, Roxanne Dey, Lake Mead National Recreation Area spokeswoman, said.

"We don't know is anyone was on the boats or not," Dey said.

The fire sunk five boats and heavily damaged three more, including at least one houseboat, Dey said. Whether any of the other boats were also houseboats was not known, she said.

The cause of the fire, which was reported by marina security around 9:30 p.m., is still under investigation, she said. She did not know if the fire started on a dock or a boat.

The lake is about 65-feet deep where the boats sunk, she said.

The Lake Mead Marina is about eight miles from Boulder City, next to Boulder Beach, she said.

About 750 boats were docked at the marina at the time of the fire, she said.

The fire was contained to a section of B dock called Lighthouse Way, she said.