The 24.5-metre VisionF 82 yacht Flagship was engulfed in flames on Sunday 28 April, following a fire at the RMK Merrill-Stevens shipyard in Miami, USA.
According to news broadcaster NBC6 Miami, 34 units attended the fire and over 100 firefighters were on the scene. Due to the billowing smoke and the complexity of the incident, the team had low visibility while tackling the flames onboard Flagship.
The fire was under control after an hour, with Miami Police posting a traffic alert to social media saying the 12th Avenue bridge along NW 7th Street was shut down due to the boat fire and urged drivers to take an alternate route. The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, but authorities believe the solar panels onboard also helped to fuel the fire further.
"[Flagship] also has solar power panels on the top and a lot of electrical batteries as well that power those solar panels. So, that is obviously fueling the flames," explained Miami Fire Lieutenant Pete Sanchez to NBC6. "We were able to remove it from the coverage structure out into the open area."
"It was a very unfortunate incident happened in our shipyard but lucky it was on Sunday," explained a representative from RMK Merrill-Stevens. "The yard was closed for weekend and no work was onboard. Miami fire department handled the situation greatly."
According to authorities, there was not much fuel onboard Flagship, which has helped to prevent contamination into the water. However, the Coastguard and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will conduct an assessment for any damaging effects the fire may have caused.
"The fixed sprinkler system helped to keep heat down. This avoids damage to shipyard and other boats on site during the incident. Glad that there were no injuries recorded," added RMK Merrill-Stevens.
No injuries or other damaged boats were reported during the incident, with authorities already investigating the cause of the fire. 
Her builder VisionF issued the following statement regarding the incident: "We are in deep sorrow that a fire broke out on our motor yacht Flagship last Sunday. Flagship has been receiving repair and maintenance services in Miami, US. We are following the incident closely and it is too early to make any comments regarding the fire. Our only relief about the incident is that no one was injured during the fire."
