RedactedNarrative: Vessel 1, FL 6138 RE, caught fire while moored to a dock at a private residence.
  
  I spoke with the Owner. I asked if he had any prior issues with the vessel that could have caused the fire. He could not think of anything that may have caused the fire. I asked if he had any lamps, candles etc. He informed me he had two “drop Lights” in the engine room, one at the front bulkhead and one at the aft bulkhead. They were both florescent tubes and plugged into the 110 outlets.
  
   Fire investigator at Fort Myers Beach Fire Department, lead the investigation on the cause of the fire. He examined the cabin of the vessel and discovered the fire had begun in the aft bedroom.  He informed me that there were two batteries on the floor under a wraparound couch in that area. He did not believe the fire started at that location but asked me to question owner about them. 
  
  I questioned owner about the batteries and he informed me they operated the stern thruster. He informed me the stern thruster was most likely added by the previous owner and not original equipment. The stern thruster operated off the two 12volt batteries that were under the couch. They were gel type batteries and owner did not know how they charged. 
  
  At this point investigator Informed me the fire was caused by the stern thruster. He told me the stern thruster was mounted on the back wall and caught fire. This fire spread throughout causing damage to most of the interior of the vessel. The stern thruster was mounted through the transom of the vessel. The motor was inside the cabin on the rear wall, that’s where the fire began.
  