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by SALLY GOLDENBERG
A tug boat with five crew members aboard caught fire yesterday afternoon in the Kill van Kull near Bayonne, but nobody was seriously hurt.
The two-alarm blaze on the Brandon C. Roehrig started shortly before 3 p.m., likely in the engine room, according to FDNY Deputy Chief James Leonard of Division 8.
The 95-foot-long tug was opposite the intersection of Richmond Terrace and Westervelt Avenue in New Brighton when it caught fire.
Rescue workers from Engine Co. 153 and Ladder Co. 77, Stapleton, and Battalion 21, Rosebank poured into a Marine Co. 9 fire boat and brought the crew members to safety. The blaze caused moderate damage to the tug boat.
About 125 firefighters from Staten Island and Brooklyn responded to the fire.
"It was actually pretty spectacular," said Tom Cuffe, director of alumni relations at Monsignor Farrell High School, who watched from the shore. "It was water coming from all sides, at least four different angles."
The operation, which was winding down around 6:15 last night, required four fire boats and two tug boats, Leonard said.
Seven firefighters and one member of the crew were treated for minor injuries at St. Vincent's Hospital, West Brighton, said Leonard. The other crew members refused medical treatment.
The cause of the fire is being investigated by the Coast Guard, but arson was ruled out.
The Brandon C. Roehrig, which was initially taken to the home port in Stapleton, was being pushed to the owner's maintenance dock in Port Richmond last night to continue the investigation, which officials estimated would take a few days.
The boat is owned by Glen Cove, Long Island-based Roehrig Maritime LLC, which operates seven tugs in New York Harbor and along the East Coast.
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