Update, July 20: The man who died after his sailboat caught fire in the Berkeley Marina on July 13 has been identified as Richard Haskell Jr. of Oceanside, California. Despite life-saving efforts, Haskell was pronounced dead at the hospital about an hour after the fire, just after 1:45 a.m. An autopsy has been completed, the Alameda County coroner’s office told Berkeleyside, but Haskell’s cause of death has not been determined pending further analysis.
The Office of the State Fire Marshal is leading the investigation into what caused the sailboat fire, a spokesperson for the agency told Berkeleyside: “This is still ongoing, with no estimate at this time as to when it will be complete.”
On Tuesday, officials removed the burned boat from the water.
Original story: A 45-year-old man died early Wednesday morning following a boat fire at the Berkeley Marina, authorities report.
The fire took place on a sailboat that was in the water east of the DoubleTree Hotel.
Just before 12:40 a.m., police and firefighters responded to a report of a boat on fire near Marina Boulevard and the Virginia Street Extension, authorities said.
When they arrived, a man had already been pulled from the water and CPR was underway.
The Berkeley Fire Department took over lifesaving efforts and put out the fire, BPD said.
BFD took the man to a local hospital for medical care but he “succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at the hospital.”
Authorities did not immediately know whether the man lived in the area or was visiting.
Police said the case remains an active investigation that will involve the Alameda County coroner’s office and the State Fire Marshal’s Arson and Bomb Unit, which is part of Cal Fire, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The coroner’s office told Berkeleyside the man’s name could not be released because his family has not been notified.
BPD said the city will “release further information at a later date as appropriate.”
