A 112-foot steel-hulled yacht valued at $24 million was gutted by fire in a California boatyard last week — and a quick-thinking captain with a remote-controlled quadcopter captured the inferno from the air.
“Am I angry? No. Anger is not the right word,” the yacht owner, Larry Jodsass, a retired electrical engineer, told NBC 7 San Diego. “It was my toy, my wonderful, beautiful piece of equipment. I think it’s the most beautiful boat that ever has been built.”
What caused the boat, named Polar Bear, to catch fire last Thursday had yet to be determined, but workers speculated that it may have been sparked by someone working in the boat with a welding torch. Jodsass said he will question the shipyard until he gets some answers.
San Diego boat captain Kurt Roll was using a remote-controlled quadcopter drone to shoot aerial footage at a shipyard in Chula Vista, Calif., when he spotted a plume of smoke rising in the distance.
Roll decided to fly his device to get closer to what appeared to be a massive boat fire and managed to capture some incredible, close-up footage.
