The burning purse seiner Jeannette was towed anout 20 miles out of Pago Pago Harbor last evening and it remains tied to the tugboat Iseula this morning.
Lt. Al Blaisdell, head of the Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Unit in Pago Pago, told KHJ News this morning they made the decision not to cut the lines because that would have meant the vessel could end up anywhere.
A fire started on board the Jeanette, late yesterday morning while it was docked off the main dock.
Around 4 pm, the burning boat was towed out by two tugboats, the Iseula and Tatoso.
Lt. Blaisdell said their only option was to keep the boat in tow instead of cutting it loose because there was fuel on board as well as ammonia and if there was an ammonia explosion the fumes are toxic and could kill someone.
He said they didn’t want to run the risk of the boat washing close to a village and this happened.
Authorities will be checking the boat this morning and determine how to deal with the situation..
Smoke from the burning boat could be seen billowing from off the airport before dark yesterday.
Lt. Blaisdell says investigators from their office in Honolulu are arriving tonight to investigate the fire.
