Until last week, Kenny Sherwood had the ultimate Chesapeake Bay life. He worked as a sous-chef at Longboards, a popular Norfolk waterfront restaurant, and lived on his boat at a marina near the restaurant.
Then on the night of March 6, a devastating fire destroyed his boat, his only home. Norfolk Fire-Rescue responded to the fire on Little Creek by land and by water, finding a 36-foot cabin cruiser in flames.
Sherwood was the liveaboard owner, and thankfully, he was able to wake up when the fire started and evacuate his boat without getting hurt. It took firefighters about 20 minutes to bring the fire under control, but the damage was done. Sherwood’s boat was a total loss. Norfolk Fire-Rescue says the vessel sunk in place. None of the adjacent boats were damaged.
Sherwood, who is in his 70s, is well known in the East Beach community, according to a GoFundMe campaign organized on his behalf. He would often sit on the cabin top of his boat and play guitar. According to the page, Sherwood escaped the fire with only the clothes on his back, his phone and his car keys. The GoFundMe collection aims to raise money for food, clothing and shelter for Sherwood and eventually, another boat to live on.
Norfolk Fire-Rescue responds to several boat fires per year at marinas, and they say fighting a fire within limited space and access makes it tricky. Most boats are tied up in narrow dock spaces with close exposure to other vessels that could also catch fire.
Battalion Chief Glen Williams says it’s common to find people living aboard or staying aboard a boat without working smoke detectors. “We often find old detectors no longer functioning or the lack of any detectors. They should be on each level and in each sleeping area,” Williams says. Going into the spring season is a great time to test your smoke detectors on board.
The Coast Guard and the fire marshal are still investigating the cause of the fire.
