At least eight people died after at least 35 docked boats caught fire and were destroyed early Monday, said an Alabama fire chief.
Scottsboro Fire Chief Gene Necklaus told CBS News that seven people were hospitalized and nine were still missing after flames consumed vessels along the Tennessee River at Jackson County Park. Of the missing, Necklaus said some are most likely to be fatalities.
"There were numerous people rescued from the water who had escaped by going into the water," Jackson County Chief Sheriff's Deputy Rocky Harnen told The Associated Press. "We're trying to get divers down here to search for possible victims in the water."
The fire broke out just after midnight in the riverboat community. Many boaters had been sleeping on their boats and dove into the water to escape the flames, which engulfed a wooden docked and an aluminum roof, sending debris into the river.
Seventeen agencies responded to the blaze, battling the fire from land on water, WHNT-TV reports. Rescuers have had difficulties trying to reach victims.
"The damage from the dock has fallen on top of the boats, and some of the boats have drifted off," Harmen told the AP
