Sponsored message
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

News

Video: Drone Captures $24 Million Yacht Going Up In Flames

Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.

A drone captured the intense fire that destroyed a $24 million yacht in Chula Vista Thursday morning.

It is believed that a crew doing welding work started the blaze. The yacht's owner, Larry Jodsass, 79, told NBC 7 that he cried when he saw video online of his beloved boat being consumed by flames.

Jodsass worked as an electrical engineer and was the chairman of a semiconductor company. He currently lives in Minnesota, but dry docked "Polar Bear" in Chula Vista after taking it to Costa Rica over the winter. The boat took him five years to build and he'd been sailing it for the past three.

The blaze was difficult to fight; firefighters had to use high-powered rifles to shatter the windows to get water inside. The dock had to be evacuated, but no one was seriously injured. Two workers had minor smoke inhalation injuries.

Watch the video here:

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.

Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.

If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.

Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible year-end gift today

A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right