OC Charter Boat Destroyed In Fire

OC Charter Boat Destroyed In Fire
The Last Call is pictured last Sunday. Submitted Photo

OCEAN CITY — Local sportfishing boat Last Call caught fire in the Inlet early last weekend, but all on board were safely removed.

Around 5:15 a.m. last Sunday, the Ocean City Fire Department responded to the south jetty of the Ocean City Inlet for a reported boat fire. It was determined the burning boat had just set out for a Sunday offshore charter.

At the time of the fire, there were seven passengers aboard the vessel. All passengers were rescued by a civilian boat in the area and no injuries were reported. The U.S. Coast Guard set up a perimeter around the burning vessel. The Ocean City Fire Department deployed a fire boat and dumped water on the vessel but the boat was destroyed by the blaze. This week, Last Call charters posted a statement about the incident on social media.

“Unfortunately, the boat is a total loss. We feel very fortunate that our customers and crew all made it off the vessel safely,” the social media statement read. “We would like to thank everyone who helped us through this terrible time — the United States Coast Guard, the Maryland Natural Resources Police, the Ocean City Fire Department, Rob Copenhaver and his crew with Towboat US and last, but not least, the crew of the boat Obsession that came to our aid. Thank you. And one final thank you to all of our charter clients. You made it possible to keep our charter business running for nearly 40 years.”

About The Author: Shawn Soper

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Shawn Soper has been with The Dispatch since 2000. He began as a staff writer covering various local government beats and general stories. His current positions include managing editor and sports editor. Growing up in Baltimore before moving to Ocean City full time three decades ago, Soper graduated from Loch Raven High School in 1981 and from Towson University in 1985 with degrees in mass communications with a journalism concentration and history.