Watch: Superyacht worth 6 million pounds erupts in flames

It took hours for firefighters to put out the blaze on the 85-feet superyacht. (Image credit: Screengrab from video posted on YouTube by Joydeep Ghosh)

A massive blaze erupted on a superyacht worth 6 million pounds in south-west England on May 28, The Guardian reported.

The 85-feet yacht was moored in a harbour in Torquay. People close to the harbour reported hearing sounds of explosions and seeing acrid black plumes of smoke.

“We stood and watched for around 10 minutes until the smoke began to affect our chests,” a witness told ITV. “There was so much smoke it obscured the sun.”

"I heard a bang like a gun shot from the harbour, followed by big plume of black smoke," a witness interviewed by BBC said.

Those living close to the harbour were instructed to close their windows to protect themselves from the smoke.

“Our officers have been checking air quality around Torquay harbour this afternoon following the yacht fire, which was declared a major incident,” the Environment Agency South West tweeted. “Thought to be no real issues with air quality, but we’re keeping an eye on the situation.

Firefighters fought the blaze for hours. The yacht detached from its mooring and they caught hold of it near the harbour’s pier.

The boat was eventually sunk. No injuries were reported in the incident.

Since the yacht was carrying fuel, concerns arose about it polluting water.

“With yacht now sunk, and with approximately nine tonnes of diesel on board, focus now on pollution,” the region’s environment agency tweeted. “Pollution response led by harbour master. Our officers are helping with advice and guidance on bathing water quality etc.”

Fire officials said the cause of the blaze was unclear, adding that an investigation would be launched to ascertain that.