Fire at exclusive Sydney marina sinks three luxury yachts

Police later confirmed that one vessel was already “well alight” when first responders arrived.

Four people were evacuated from the affected boat and a woman was treated for smoke inhalation before being taken to hospital in a stable condition.

As firefighters battled the flames, it became clear the damage was extensive. Fire and Rescue NSW superintendent Adam Dewberry said multiple vessels had been lost by the time the fire was brought under control.

“We’ve got three of these large yachts that have sunk,” Mr Dewberry told Nine’s Today show.

“We are now moving into the hazmat stage, where we’re working with the Port Authority of NSW to get booms around to make sure that we capture all of that contamination. There is a lot of debris on the water and also to collect fuel and oil, which does float to the top, fortunately. And then, of course, investigations will commence by the police with fire rescue assisting.”

With fuel and oil leaking into Middle Harbour, authorities moved quickly to limit environmental harm. Containment booms were deployed and an exclusion zone established around the marina as planning began for a salvage operation.

Mr Dewberry said that the outcome could have been far more devastating. “Out here, there’s dozens of boats and yachts and a lot of money, and people are living on some of these vessels as well. But fortunately, the actions of firefighters and fire rescue when they arrived cut the fire off. And the NSW ports authority, their fire tug that arrived, was able to cut it off,” he said.

“Yes, we’ve lost three vessels with a fourth one pretty badly damaged, but we could have lost many more of these yachts out there.”

Police said preliminary checks had been completed and the fire was not being treated as suspicious.

Transport for NSW secretary Josh Murray praised the coordinated response, crediting multiple agencies for preventing wider destruction and environmental damage.

“All reports to me are that this could have been far worse had it not been contained to the four luxury boats, three of which sank,” Mr Murray said in a statement.

“A containment boom and exclusion zone was rushed into place around the marina, while the owners and the operators are now planning a salvage operation as investigations take place. The EPA has also been fully briefed on the incident.”

The Spit marina is regarded as one of Sydney’s premier berthing locations and is recommended by Superyacht Australia for vessels measuring 30m or longer. Its facilities include more than 100 secure berths, including those designed specifically for superyachts.

Traffic disruptions followed the emergency response, with one northbound lane of Spit Road closed on Friday morning as crews continued clean-up and assessment work.

Investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing while authorities monitor the harbour for any further pollution from the sunken vessels.