Photos courtesy WBDC
Fire engulfed multiple houseboats Friday morning at the Hoosier Hills Marina at Patoka Lake.

By CHRISTINE STEPHENSON
cstephenson@dcherald.com

PATOKA LAKE — A fire at the Hoosier Hills Marina at Patoka Lake engulfed nearly a dozen houseboats Friday morning. 

Fire crews were dispatched to the marina around 9 a.m., according to Dubois County Dispatch. Eleven were destroyed by the fire and more were damaged. There were no reported injuries, Celestine Volunteer Fire Department Chief Ryan Wineinger said.

“It’s all a little bit jumbled together right now, but it looks like there are around 19 or 20 total boats involved,” Wineinger said.

See a gallery of photos here

Multiple fire departments, including Celestine, Dubois and Schnellville, responded to the fire. The fire is contained but still active in a few hot spots.

The cause of the fire remains unknown until the Indiana State Fire Marshal conducts an investigation. Once the investigation is complete, the recovery process will begin, Wineinger said.

“We’re still out here,” he said. “We’ll probably be out here working for the majority of the evening.”

A video of the fire was posted on the Indiana DNR Law Enforcement Facebook page around 10:30 a.m. and can be viewed here: https://www.facebook.com/INdnrlawenforcement.

Kylie Schepers/The Herald
Damaged houseboats sit on Patoka Lake at the Hoosier Hills Marina Friday afternoon after a fire broke out there that morning.

Kylie Schepers/The Herald
A firefighter with the Celestine Volunteer Fire Department takes a break Friday afternoon after a long day of fighting the fire at Hoosier Hills Marina at Patoka Lake.