RedactedNarrative: On Saturday July 22, 2017, Officer and I received a call at around 11:00 p.m. reference to a vessel fire near Long Island access area.
  
  Upon arrival at the scene, we spoke with the owner of the vessel.  Owner stated that he purchased the 21ft Chris Craft vessel from Craigslist and this was the first time the vessel had been on the water. Owner said two people were onboard the vessel when it was launched and when the fire started.  
  
  I then spoke with Operator who stated that after the vessel was launched, he attempted to start the engine.  During this time, he heard a loud explosion and saw fire coming from the engine compartment.  Operator said that he then attempted to use the fire extinguisher on the vessel, which was unsuccessful.  Operator then flagged down another vessel that was passing by and jumped in the water to retrieve their fire extinguisher.  By the time Operator could swim back to his vessel, occupant had jumped off the vessel due to the vessel becoming fully engulfed by fire.  Operator and occupant then swam back to shore. 
  
  Troutman Fire Department responded and were able to keep the burning vessel away from surrounding docks.  The fire destroyed the vessel, and it sank. Towboat US came to the scene and recovered the vessel.
  
  On July 23rd, Officer and I examined the vessel at Towboat US.  It appeared the majority of the damage was centered around the engine compartment and fuel tank.  Based on this observation, it appears that the fire originated in the engine compartment due to ignited fuel.  We were unable to make any further determination because of the extent of the damage.
  
  No injuries were reported.  Alcohol and drugs were not a factor in this case.
  
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