Fire engulfs catamaran moored at Poole yacht club

Image source, RNLI Poole Lifeboat Station

Image caption, The vessel had been on a mooring when it went up in flames

A catamaran has been destroyed after catching fire while moored at a yacht club.

Two lifeboats, coastguard teams, and fire crews were sent to Parkstone Yacht Club, Poole, shortly after 20:30 BST on Monday.

Poole lifeboat crews said a "quick-thinking bystander" had untied the 33ft (10m) vessel so it would drift away from other boats onto a breakwater.

No-one was onboard at the time, and the cause of the fire is not yet known.

Image source, RNLI Poole Lifeboat Station

Image caption, Billowing black smoke from the catamaran could be seen for miles

A 50m (164 ft) exclusion zone was set up as the vessel was burning.

Poole RNLI said: "A lot of people had gathered, on land and on water, to get a closer look and the billowing acrid black smoke, could be seen for miles."

The boat was left to burn itself out throughout the night monitored by fire crews.

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