On March 20, 2013, LDWF Enforcement Agent was notified of a boating incident that had occurred on 3/19/13 at approximately 11:30 p.m near Berwick in the Intercoastal Waterway /Atchafalaya Riiver.  The operator advised that he was travelling west headed home to Texas with this vessel he had just purchased.  He advised that he heard the port engine suddenly change.  He saw fire and used an extinguisher, minimizing damage to the vessel. However, in the process he had inhaled smoke from the fire and was taken to Teche Regional Hospial where he was treated and released.  No drugs or alcohol are suspected in this incident.  Operator had just paid marine surveyor to check the vessel before purchasing it.  It is believed to have been a fuel related due to the fact that the smoke was black; had it been an electrical fire the smoke would have been white. Also Operator had the local Fire Marshal to come in to determine the cause but they were not able to do so.  They were however able to locate a hotspot in the aft of the bilge compartment. 
 
After further investigation, it was determined that the exhaust had come loose from the manifold, which caused the hot exhaust to blow directly onto a bundle of wires.  This caused the wiring to catch fire.
Berwick