Owner watches as £7m superyacht destroyed in boatyard blaze

The owner of a superyacht worth more than £7 million watched as his vessel was destroyed by fire. The Mexican multi-millionaire had been preparing to take delivery of the 111.5ft (34-metre) Sunseeker yacht from the boatyard where it was being worked on. The unnamed man is understood to have flown to Britain last week, with a full crew.



More than 50 firefighters battled through the night to control the blaze in Poole Quay, Dorset. The cause of the fire is unknown and the fire service has launched an investigation. One theory is that a lightning strike could have set it alight. Other multimillion pound yachts had to be moved from the boatyard as the fire ripped through the vessel's fibreglass cabin and flames leapt almost 70 feet into the air.

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Hundreds of people gathered at the marina as six fire engines tackled the blaze after being called out just after 11pm on Friday. Two lifeboats were called to move the other yachts in the marina to safety amid fears that the blaze would spread and cause hundreds of millions of pounds of damage.



A Portland Coastguard spokesman said the Mexican businessman owner was getting ready to take delivery of the yacht and was a helpless bystander as firefighters battled to extinguish the blaze. The spokesman said: "The owner was present and witnessed the action taking place."