RedactedNarrative: Owner/Operator had just put his house boat on water from trailer at the Dunbar boat ramp when he started up the engine for the first time. The water around the stern caught on fire and then engulfed the hull. The entire boat was then engulfed while it floated across the river, underneath the toll bridge, then sinking across the river in South Charleston. It drifted for about a quarter mile. It appears some fuel had leaked and began the fire after ignition. Owner just fueled the boat before launch. The 1992 Gibson house boat had been undergoing 4 years of renovations with fresh paint and the engine had not been started prior to launch.