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A Retired Riverboat In Vallejo Caught On Fire Saturday, 4 Occupants Rescued

A three-story boat called “The Grand Romance,” docked on the Napa River in Vallejo, caught on fire Saturday, resulting in its partial sinking and prompting a few people who had been living onboard to jump into the water to escape.

The formerly famous boat, a replica 19th century paddle-wheel riverboat that had been evicted from Long Beach around 2018, had fallen into disrepair in recent years, as the Vallejo Sun reported.

On Saturday, plumes of smoke began to rise from the boat, which was anchored near Derr and Lemon Street in Carquinez Bay, about 2 miles north of the Carquinez Bridge, according to the Mercury News . The Vallejo Fire Department reportedly responded around 4:45 p.m., when they found that four people had been living onboard.

The Vallejo Fire Department said on social media that there were four people aboard when the blaze started, and that two self-rescued, while the other two received aid from nearby “good Samaritans” to escape before officials arrived. No injuries were reported.

Video footage on X, formerly known as Twitter, shows the flames.

#WATCH : A boat in Vallejo's Carquinez Bay went up in flames earlier today, as captured in a gripping video all four occupants are safe. #Vallejo #California #Boatsmoke #LiveVideo #Viral #CarquinezBay #Valley #Action #MustWatch #LiveBurning #BoatBurning #Live pic.twitter.com/ajAi9D9M10 — mishikasingh (@mishika_singh) September 17, 2023

It’s not the first strange incident that the boat has seen, though. The boat, originally named the Petaluma Queen, was constructed in 1993 in Fort Bragg and features a grand ballroom with a red velvet stage, marble dance floor, polished brass fittings, and stamped tin ceilings, initially was used for dinner cruises in downtown Petaluma under the ownership of Bill Barker, per the Mercury News.

It was reportedly renamed the Grand Romance after an apparently unsuccessful attempt to convert it into a riverboat gambling parlor, and in 2001, was relocated to Long Beach where it hosted various paid events, including murder mystery cruises and toga parties — until Long Beach authorities revoked its permit due to multiple health and safety concerns.

Barker had grand ambitions to fix it up for dinner cruises in Vallejo once again, according to the Vallejo Sun, they were apparently put on hold by the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020, and again more recently by California Air Resources Board’s requirements about its diesel engine. He told the Vallejo Sun that he had bought a new engine and had a caretaker living on-board, but was seemingly surprised by the news that there were four residents.

Now, its first floor is reportedly largely underwater, and fire has gutted the interior, so those plans might take even longer.

Related: Boat Explodes and Sinks In Waters Off Sausalito, Occupant Injured

Feature image via Vallejo Fire Department on X aka Twitter.

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News | Photo: Ready for some Grand Romance in Vallejo

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The Grand Romance Riverboat is tied up off of the Vallejo shores in the Carquinez straight near Lemon Street. The paddleboat resided in Long Beach for years as a venue, holding dinner and murder mystery cruises. Though the boat has been vandalized, since coming to Vallejo, the owner has hopes to repair and fix up the vessel for cruises along the Napa River.

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Grand Romance

The grand romance riverboat has been moored in the napa river near vallejo since 2018. it caught fire in september 2023 and now sits partially sunken, its ultimate fate unknown. a sad situation for a boat that's definitely seen better days .   for you adventurous souls who want to check this out in person, be warned: this is in an isolated and dangerous area that's currently being used as a large homeless camp. do not go alone or at night.    .