HART COUNTY, Ga. — A fire early Saturday morning destroyed a private dock, boat, and personal watercraft on Lake Hartwell. Authorities say no one was injured in the incident.
Game wardens were notified of the fire around 1:08 a.m. on July 5. When responders arrived, they found the dock and vessels fully engulfed. Firefighters extinguished the remaining flames, but both the boat and PWC were burned to the waterline, said Mark McKinnon of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources..
The dock and all accessories stored there were also declared a total loss. No one was on the dock at the time, and no injuries were reported.
According to the Hart County Fire Department, the homeowner told firefighters that a boat battery was charging at the time the fire broke out.
In a social media post following the incident, the department reminded the public to never leave battery charging equipment unattended. “Fires like this can happen quickly and without warning,” the post read. “Always keep a close eye on anything charging, especially near flammable materials.”
The Lake Hartwell incident is the latest in a series of boat fires in Northeast Georgia since the July Fourth holiday began. In two separate incidents on Friday, fourteen people were injured when boats exploded on Lake Lanier in Hall County and Lake Nottely in Union County.
