Most of Friday was spent containing diesel fuel that spilled into the water when the vessel went down.
About 5,000 gallons of fuel were on board the yacht when the fire started about 6: 30 p.m. Thursday, but officials said it's unclear how much burned and how much spilled into the waters near the Sailfish Club in Palm Beach, where the boat was docked.
"The last time I was on site you could see diesel in the water. Not a large amount but enough to be concerned about," Palm Beach Fire Marshal William Amador said.
By 3 p.m. Friday, floating barriers called "booms" had been placed in the water to contain and absorb the fuel, officials said.
"But until the tanks are removed it will be sort of a continuous baby-sitting process," said Amy Tolderlund, spokeswoman for the cleanup company, Sea Tow Services of Palm Beach.
Divers will have to pump the fuel and other hazardous materials from the boat's tanks before the multimillion-dollar yacht can be hoisted by a 300-ton crane and taken to a shipyard, officials said. Amador said the fire started in a rear stateroom, but its cause was still under investigation Friday because the boat was underwater. Damage to the boat also was under investigation.
"I couldn't even speculate on an exact amount," he said. "We have no idea what the content of the vessel was. There could have been several million dollars of content and property."
It was unclear who owns the Janie II, which had just returned from the Bahamas when the fire started. Palm Beach Fire Rescue and officials at Sea Tow were trying to determine who owns the boat.
"I have no clue," said Tolderlund. "Even our guys have asked me."
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