At least two people have been killed and several others are injured or missing after an overnight fire destroyed a dock containing around 35 boats in the U.S. state of Alabama on Monday, local media reported.
CNN quoted Jackson County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Rocky Harnen as saying that two bodies had been recovered, with six or seven people still unaccounted for. He added some 35 boats suffered “total destruction” as a result of the fire in Jackson County Park in Scottsboro.
“The dock is collapsed; we can’t get to all the boats right now,” Harnen said. “We have a list of residents here and we are trying to confirm (the) whereabouts of everyone.”
Seven people were rescued on the scene and transferred to hospital for treatment of their injuries, according to Scottsboro Fire Chief Gene Mecklaus.
He put the number of missing people at nine, and of those missing, some are most likely to be fatalities, he said.
The Scottsboro Fire Department, Scottsboro Police Department, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, along with other agencies and volunteers, were on the scene responding to the incident.
The cause of the fire was under investigation by the State of Alabama Fire Marshals Office and the Scottsboro Fire Department, according to Harnen.
Information on Jackson County Park’s website shows the park has a walking trail, boat ramps, and fishing and swimming docks on the Tennessee River. Enditem
