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

Ben Irwin and Hannah Workman, The Record
·2 min read

The Stockton Police Department now suspects arson is the culprit of Tuesday's fire at the site of the historic Colberg Boat Works Building that destroyed a vacant warehouse.

Stockton police did not provide any other information on the incident.

Fanned by wind gusts, flames spread within the old shipbuilding complex to at least two adjacent buildings south of West Lindsay Street and North Yosemite Street.

"Due to the wind and its proximity to other things, we had some significant exposures going on," Stockton Fire Department Battalion Chief Brandon Doolan said. "We called for a second alarm and eventually elevated it up to a third alarm."

The fire department received a call about the fire at 4:54 p.m.

As firefighters began arriving, they found the warehouse was already engulfed in flames. Within minutes, it had completely collapsed.

Stockton firefighters battle a blaze that damaged the historic Colberg Boat Works complex on Lindsay Street between Stockton and Yosemite streets in Stockton on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. A previous fire destroyed a building in the complex in Oct. 2022.
Stockton firefighters battle a blaze that damaged the historic Colberg Boat Works complex on Lindsay Street between Stockton and Yosemite streets in Stockton on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. A previous fire destroyed a building in the complex in Oct. 2022.

Western wind gusts of up to 31 mph were reported in Stockton around 4 p.m. Tuesday. PG&E reported 31 power outages affecting 570 customers in Stockton.

Doolan said crews were able to save a warehouse located immediately to the east of the Colberg Boat Works building.

"In that process, we also had three different wooden docks out over the water that had embers catch on fire," Doolan said. "We were able to put the majority of that out."

Fire officials said no injuries were reported in the fire and its cause was not known Tuesday night.

The Colberg Boat Works building burned in a tragic fire in October 2022. The business started by two brothers in the late 1890s once built minesweepers, tugboats and submarine chasers for the U.S. Army and Navy during World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars.

Before the historic building burned, the Stockton Maritime Museum had plans to barge the building across the channel to be an "anchor" for the organization and a permanent museum.

Record reporter Ben Irwin covers Stockton and San Joaquin County government. He can be reached at birwin@recordnet.com or on Twitter @B1rwin. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow. 

Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at hworkman@recordnet.com or on Twitter @byhannahworkman. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at recordnet.com/subscribenow. 

This article originally appeared on The Record: Arson suspected in fire at site of old Stockton Colberg Boat Works