VIDEO: Shrimp boat catches fire, sinks near Fort Pike State Park

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - A shrimp boat sank Thursday morning (June 2) near Fort Pike State Park after being destroyed by fire.

The fire was extinguished just after 9 a.m.

Officials say initially they worried the ship, just a few hundred feet from shore, would drift if the anchor line burned.

The fire raged as firefighters waited for a fire boat to arrive to douse the flames.

Even as the ship’s anchor line burned, the shrimp nets were down, which kept the vessel from drifting too much.

Firefighters say there were people on board the ship when it caught fire, but a Good Samaritan was able to get them off before it completely caught fire. They were dropped off at the nearby marina.

Within about an hour, the NOFD’s water cannon boat arrived from West End into the Rigolets and began dousing the boat.

Minutes after the boat arrived, the fire consumed the ship and the rest of the charred remains slipped into the water, leaving only the upper portion of the trellis exposed near the 18th centuy fort.

As firefighters wrapped up their efforts to salvage the boat, it’s clear the vessel is a total loss.

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