An early morning fire destroyed the Broward Marine boat manufacturing facility in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and caused extensive damage to several yachts under con - struction at the facility. The firestorm spread large embers throughout the area, causing spot fires throughout the property and damaging several boats moored near the site. The resulting smoke column was visible from as far as seven miles away. Situated on the New River, the Broward Marine facility housed boat production and storage buildings dating back to the 1930's and marina areas. The structures involved in the fire included a manufacturing building, a boat assembly building, and an office building. (See Figure 1) The facility had previously been cited by authorities for a number of code violations. Damage was estimated at 15 million dollars.