Tugboat Engine Room in Flames, 3 Crew Treated

Photo: Z-Four Tug from Starlight Marine Services fleet.

Three crewmen have been hospitalized after a tugboat engine fire erupted while the vessel was docked along Alameda’s shoreline.

The fire in the tug’s engine compartment was reported just before 11 a.m. on Wednesday.

The three crewmembers aboard the tug were treated for smoke inhalation.

Fortunately, the blaze was quickly extinguished within an hour. An investigation has been launched into the cause of the fire, although authorities on scene believe it was sparked during a mechanical malfunction and is not considered suspicious.

The fire occurred on the Z-Five, a tug operated by Starlight Marine Services. The company works under Harley Marine Services, and has been on San Francisco Bay since April 2003 and provides petroleum transportation, tanker escort and other maritime work.