ST. GEORGE — The National Park Service has concluded an investigation into the cause of a fire that destroyed multiple houseboats at the Bullfrog Marina at Lake Powell last October.
“The point of origin was identified by the investigation team and the source of the fire was undetermined and accidental in nature,” the National Park Service stated in a brief press release issued Friday.
The fire occurred during the late hours of Oct. 26, 2023, and torched multiple houseboats. Various media reports place the number of houseboats destroyed between five and eight or more.
Social media posts at the time also described the fire as a large blaze with at least one boat fully engulfed in flames.
During the fire, the engulfed houseboat was pushed away from the dock in an effort to keep the blaze from spreading. This backfired, however, when the boat drifted back toward the dock and surrounding houseboats caught fire.
ABC4 reported that no one was killed in the blaze and that the houseboats that burned were all empty at the time they caught fire. Multiple people were treated for smoke inhalation at the scene with one person airlifted to a hospital for additional treatment.
The National Park Service commenced an investigation into the cause of the fire soon after that was “supported with the cooperation of eye-witness photos and video submissions,” according to the press release.
“We thank everyone for their cooperation,” NPS officials stated. “The affected areas are now open.”
Prior to the Bullfrog Marina Fire, Lake Powell saw additional houseboat fires in June and September 2023.
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