A man was killed early this morning when a fire tore through a 36-foot wooden motorboat at the Dorchester Yacht Club.
Firefighters rushed to the scene on Playstead Road at 12:42 a.m. after another boater called 911.
"When firefighters pulled up they saw a large boat on fire with flames shooting in the air," said Steve MacDonald, a fire department spokesman. "The firefighters did a good job of confining the fire to just that boat."
Officials are working to positively identify the man who was killed, although MacDonald said they have a good idea of who it was after interviewing other yacht club members. The man owned one of the few old-fashioned wooden boats at the club.
“I knew right away," said member Robert Welch, who described him as “quiet and very well liked.”
The Globe is withholding the man's name until he is positively identified. Welch said the man had been acting as a steward of the club, pumping gas, putting on coffee, and keeping the place clean.
“He was only doing it temporarily,” Welch said. “He was doing a favor.”
Investigators did a preliminary investigation shortly after the blaze but had to wait until daylight before beginning a more in-depth probe, MacDonald said. They plan to interview boaters and examine fuel, electricity, and other potential causes.
"As in any fire investigation, it’s a process of elimination," MacDonald said.
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