Fireboat 4 extinguishes boat fire on Lake Rabun

Fireboat 4 had its first opportunity to extinguish a blaze that engulfed a boat over the weekend on Lake Rabun.

According to Rabun County Fire Services Station 4 – Lakemont-Wiley Captain John Murray, on Saturday, July 28 at 2:20 p.m. RCFS received a call for a boat fire located in the Big Basin of Lake Rabun.

At the time of the initial dispatch, Station 4 personnel were on the scene of an EMS call on the east side of Lakemont.

Firefighter Gordon Van Mol remained in the area of Lake Rabun to maintain coverage and was on the water at the time of the call in his personal boat. He responded immediately to ensure that no citizens were trapped on the boat or in the water. The remaining firefighters responded from the call approximately 5 miles away.

Google maps indicated the response from the EMS call to Hall’s Boat House where the fireboat is housed, would take 12 minutes under normal conditions. According to Murray, personnel made the drive and had the boat deployed in 8 minutes despite encountering many vehicles on Lake Rabun Road that were unable to yield to the responding emergency vehicles.

Fireboat 4 responded directly to the scene and performed “flawlessly”, Murray said. “…thanks to its smooth operation and the copious amount of water that it is able to provide.” According to officials, no citizens were injured during the incident and the exact cause remains unknown.