Update: Dog May Have Died In Boat Fire

CLEARWATER, FL — Clearwater Fire & Rescue is investigating a Thursday afternoon boat fire that caused a plume of smoke to rise above the Intracoastal Waterway.

According to the agency, crews were called out to the scene on East Shore Drive early Thursday afternoon. First responders learned that a boat that had been tied to a dock caught fire and then broke free from its restraints.

“The boat was floating in the Intracoastal Waterway as crews got on board other boats to fight the fire,” the agency wrote in an email to media. Crews from the U.S. Coast Guard, Dunedin Fire Rescue and Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office all assisted in putting out the blaze, the agency noted.

Fire rescue officials say no human injuries were reported, but a second boat did suffer some damage as a result of the flames. Investigators have since learned the boat that went up in flames was owned by William Campbell. Oscar Lozada lived on the boat, a Thursday night email from the agency said.

Lozada did not live alone, the agency reported.

"A dog that lived aboard the boat is believed to have died in the fire," the email said.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation. No further information is available at this time.

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Photo and video courtesy of Clearwater Fire & Rescue