Alabama fire chief confirms 8 deaths in boat dock blaze

At least eight people were killed early Monday in an explosive fire that consumed at least 35 vessels docked along the Tennessee River.

Scottsboro Fire Chief Gene Necklaus said all eight people known to be missing were confirmed dead and "that number could go up, because we don't know how many were on boats" that sank.

The fire began just after midnight and quickly consumed the dock as people were sleeping. The wooden dock went up in flames and an aluminum roof that covered many of the vessels melted and collapsed, cutting off escape routes and raining debris over the area as boaters leaped into the river.

At least seven people were sent to hospitals suffering from exposure to the flames or the frigid water.

Necklaus said about 35 boats were destroyed, some of them sinking at the dock and others floating away before going under. He said divers need to locate each one and search them individually to be sure there were no other victims.

"We woke up hearing screams and popping noises," Mandy Durham, who was with her boyfriend in a nearby boat, told The Associated Press. "When we woke up, we could see red through the window."
"Within 15 to 20 minutes, the whole dock was in flames," she added. "All these boats have propane tanks and gas tanks, and that's a lot of fire."
"There were numerous people rescued from the water who had escaped by going into the water," Jackson County Chief Sheriff's Deputy Rocky Harnen told The Associated Press shortly after dawn. "We're trying to get divers down here to search for possible victims."