Fire destroys boat on Bass Lake, causes fuel spill.

#MasonCountyNews #BassLakeBoatFire #SummitTownship

By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief.

SUMMIT TOWNSHIP — A 20-foot boat caught fire while docked in Bass Lake Friday afternoon. The 44-year-old boat owner was on the boat when it suddenly was engulfed in flames, Mason County Sheriff Marine Deputy Mark Willis said. The man suffered from minor burns but refused medical treatment. Willis said the man told him he had put about 50 gallons of fuel in the boat in Grand Haven. Marine patrol deputies were the first emergency responders on the scene, followed shortly by Riverton Township Fire Department.

The boat sank in the water before it was completely extinguished, causing a gas leak. Emergency personnel, including Mason County Emergency Management, were attempting to salvage the boat and then contain any further contamination. Riverton Township Fire Chief Joe Cooper said he was consulting with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.