(WASHINGTON) — On April 22, 2025, about 1750 local time, the towing vessel William D was pushing two barges near mile 20 of the Victoria Barge Canal, about 15 miles from Port Lavaca, Texas, with six crewmembers on board, when a fire broke out in the towboat’s accommodation spaces. Crewmembers attempted but were unable to extinguish the fire.
All crewmembers evacuated the towboat to another vessel and were recovered by the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard, Port Lavaca Fire Department, and two assist tugs responded to the scene, and the fire department extinguished the fire. There were no injuries and no pollution was reported. The towing vessel was deemed a constructive total loss estimated at $500,000.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the probable cause of the fire was likely an unknown electrical source in the starboard main deck bunkroom. Contributing to the rapid spread of the fire and the extent of the damage were air introduced through open doors, windows and other openings, and the substantial use of combustible wood paneling throughout the accommodation spaces.
“A post-casualty investigation conducted by the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) indicated that the starboard bulkhead of Bunkroom 1B, located on the main deck, was the likely origin location of the fire and identified electrical failure as the ‘most probable cause’ of the fire,” the NTSB said in its report. “An electrical outlet on the bulkhead was providing power to a window-mounted air-conditioning unit (turned on) and a phone charger (no device connected to it) when the fire broke out. An electrical fault – such as a loose, broken, or frayed wire, or broken receptacle hardware – within the outlet or nearby circuitry, could have created excessive resistance heating sufficient to ignite nearby combustibles. However, due to the extent of the fire damage, the exact ignition source and exact cause of the fire could not be determined.”
Click here to read the complete report.
– National Transportation Safety Board
