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A boat was on fire near Tampa Bay’s Beer Can Island. See photos.

A boat was on fire near Tampa Bay’s Beer Can Island.  See photos.

Plumes of black smoke poured into the blue sky Saturday afternoon as a 35-foot cabin cruiser burst into flames about a mile from Pine Key, the popular Tampa Bay boating destination better known as Beer Can Island.

The Hillsborough County Fire Rescue dispatch center received 911 calls about the boat fire shortly after 12:30 pm, according to a news release. The US Coast Guard was notified and responded with county fire rescue personnel to extinguish the flames.

As of late Saturday afternoon, there were no reported injuries. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Hillsborough County Fire Rescue responded to a boat fire near Beer Can Island on the afternoon of July 27, 2024.
Hillsborough County Fire Rescue responded to a boat fire near Beer Can Island on the afternoon of July 27, 2024. (Hillsborough County Fire Rescue)
Related: Tampa’s Beer Can Island isn’t for sale anymore

Beer Can sits between Apollo Beach and MacDill Air Force Base, about 10 miles south of downtown Tampa.

The nine-acre island is owned by four friends who put it up for sale earlier this year for $14.2 million before changing their minds and taking it off the market.

Hillsborough County Fire Rescue responded to a boat fire near Beer Can Island on the afternoon of July 27, 2024.
Hillsborough County Fire Rescue responded to a boat fire near Beer Can Island on the afternoon of July 27, 2024. (Hillsborough County Fire Rescue)