Key West Fire damages at least three boats docked at marina

A fire that broke out Monday at a Key West Marina left at least three boats heavily damaged, officials say.

Firefighters were called out to Robbie’s Marina of Key West on 7281 Shrimp Rd. at around 9:30 p.m. and took a little less than four hours to be extinguished. At least three boats, measuring 23, 25, and 40 feet, respectively, were heavily damaged due to the blaze.

No injuries were reported in the incident. Additional details like how the fire got started were not immediately available Wednesday. The State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the incident.

Leesfield & Partners

Leesfield & Partners has offices in Miami, Orlando and Key West. The firm’s Key West office is located on historic Whitehead Street and is roughly a 15-minute drive from Robbie’s Marina where the blaze started. In its decades of personal injury practice delivering thousands of favorable outcomes to injured clients and grieving families, the attorneys at the firm have encountered numerous instances of fires, explosions and carbon monoxide exposure.

Over the years, Leesfield & Partners has become one of the country’s leading carbon monoxide law firms representing a family exposed to the dangerous gas at a Key West hotel that got nationwide attention and led to a state law to further carbon monoxide prevention and protection. The firm’s Founder and Managing Partner, Ira Leesfield, played a major role in establishing the passage of that law, the first in the state to protect people against carbon monoxide exposure.

More recently, the law firm represented a couple vacationing in a foreign country who were exposed to carbon monoxide at their accommodation. Attorneys with the firm secured an eight-figure settlement for the couple. The law firm also obtained an eight-figure settlement for a family whose home was damaged in a fire in Ramrod Key.

Another case where clients were exposed to a toxic gas other than carbon monoxide involves that of several firefighters who breathed in toxic fumes for hours while in the line of duty helping road workers. Leesfield & Partners attorneys secured a large settlement amount for their clients in that case.

Fire Safety Tips

Knowing what to do in case of an emergency can improve reaction times and increase your survival rate. Things like knowing where the exits are in a building, having an escape plan or practicing drills increase your chances of escaping a fire safely. Below are several tips that may help you in case of an emergency.

Have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors on every floor of your home. Smoke alarms can alert you to a fire that may break out in your home and give you time to escape. These alarms should be checked once a month, according to the American Red Cross. Change your smoke alarm batteries regularly.
Sleep with your door closed. Keeping bedroom doors closed can help deprive the flames of oxygen which the fire will need to spread and can keep you from breathing in smoke from the other side of your door.
Develop a fire safety plan and discuss it with every member of your family so that they know what to do if a fire breaks out at your home. Every family member should know at least two unobstructed entries and exits from the home including exterior doors and windows. This plan should be practiced at least twice a year.
Decide on a meeting place that everyone in the family knows about so that, if there is a fire, you know
Keep a fire extinguisher in places like your kitchen and garage.
If your clothes catch fire, do not panic and run. Stop where you are, drop to the ground and cover your face with your hands to begin rolling over and over to smother the flames.
Smoke and hot air rise. If you’re ever in an emergency fire situation it may be best to crawl out to avoid breathing in the smoke. Keep your head 12 to 14 inches from the floor and crawl to the nearest exit.
If you are ever in a fire emergency, get out and stay out of the house. Never go back inside for personal items or to try and save your home. Call for help immediately and stay back from the flames while you wait for first responders.