Fire destroys another building at abandoned Colberg Boat Works. Firefighters seek cause

Aaron Leathley, The Record
Updated ·2 min read
Firefighters and trainees attack a fire near Fremont Street in Stockton on April 11, 2023.
Firefighters and trainees attack a fire near Fremont Street in Stockton on April 11, 2023.

Fire consumed a building Tuesday afternoon near Stockton's now-dilapidated historic shipyard for the second time this year.

The blaze started around 1:50 p.m., when Stockton resident Matthew McCann said he "just looked up and happened to see smoke" and called 911.

The smoke was billowing from a two-story metal warehouse near the property of Colberg Boat Works, south of Fremont Street near McLeod Lake.

McCann was cleaning out a warehouse where he stores his cars, he said. The warehouse is next to Colberg.

"I ran over here and started calling," he said.

Firefighters and trainees attack a warehouse fire south of Fremont Street in Stockton on April 11, 2023.
Firefighters and trainees attack a warehouse fire south of Fremont Street in Stockton on April 11, 2023.

By about 2:30 p.m., the roof of the metal building had been scorched to ash. About 30 Stockton and Lodi firefighters and trainees attacked flames with three hoses and a water cannon mounted on a crane. The structure's metal walls appeared to have melted, curving inward toward the heat.

More: Arson suspected in fire at site of historic Stockton Colberg Boat Works

No one was injured, a firefighter at the scene said. The cause of the fire was unclear, he said. An investigation will begin as soon as firefighters clean up the area.

In February, another warehouse at the shipyard was destroyed in a fire Stockton police say they believe was arson. The same month, a fire destroyed a third warehouse southwest of the shipyard at the Port of Stockton.

In its heyday, Colberg Boat Works built minesweepers, tugboats, and submarine chasers for use in World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars. The property was destroyed in a fire in 2022.

Now, homeless residents live in its abandoned structures, McCann said.

Fires have been reported about six times in the past three months at the shipyard, a firefighter at the scene said.

McCann said he worries more fires could follow recent blazes.

"All the buildings are disappearing," he said.

Record reporter Aaron Leathley covers public safety. She can be reached at aleathley@recordnet.com or on Twitter @LeathleyAaron. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: Fire destroys another building at abandoned Colberg Boat Works.