Thick black smoke can be seen coming from the harbourside

A major incident has been declared in Torquay after a £6m superyacht burst into flames. The town's seafront has been cordoned off and the beach evacutated.

At least five fire engines are currently on the scene in Torquay (May 28) battling a blaze on the 85ft motorboat. According to a spokesperson from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, fire crews were called at around 11.57am.

A spokesperson said: "85ft motorboat on fire. Fire crews called at 11.57am. Three fire engines on the scene. Liaising with the harbourmaster."

An eye-witness in the area said: "Massive fire near Pavilion I think on Torquay Harbourside."

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Plumes of thick black smoke can be seen pouring from the yacht. Devon Live will be bringing you all of the latest updates regarding this incident in the blog below.

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Work is under way to try and prevent pollution after a huge blaze in the Torquay marina saw a superyacht sink into the water. The boat, believed to be worth around £6m, was carrying around 8,000 litres of fuel - raising fears of an oil spill.

Read the full story here.

We took more than 50 calls to our Torquay boat fire, 11 of which handled by our #nfsp partners @hiwfrs_control @DWFireControl Great team work everyone #OneTeam @DSFireUpdates https://t.co/0ZwqGSi0Xu

Torquay councillor Swithin Long, cabinet member for Tourism, said more information would be forthcoming in the next few days but the clear-up operation was already underway.

He told DevonLive: "I've been in contact with the Fire authority and we understand that at the moment the pollution of diesel is currently contained with buoys which have been put in place. It's very much a multi-agency approach to contain the pollution.

"There is some detritus in the vicinity and it's being cleared up tonight. The Harbour Master is dealing with the rubbish but the Environment Agency and council will be in charge of the pollution clean up."

He said he hoped that it would not effect nearby beaches, hampering the region's tourism nor it's Jubilee celebrations but work was underway.

He added that he was informed by the fire service that at one stage there were concerns over damage to the pier and whether firefighters were at risk of losing their vehicles if the pier decking "collapsed into the sea".

In addition, he noted that this was not the first time the Marina had suffered from a large fire.

Significant damage to Princess Pier following boat fire leads to its closure. Inspection to take place next week. pic.twitter.com/NlRWno7ubG

He said: "There has previoulsy been a fire there, about 20 years ago. The good thing with that is it means that there is insurance in place.

"We will have more details about the damage and the clear-up process over the next few days."

Police were called at 12.10pm today [Saturday 28 May] to Princess Pier in Torquay following reports of a fire on a yacht in the marina.

The boat is believed to have caught alight and broke away from the mooring but was later secured by the Fire Service near the pier. There have been no reported injuries.

Shortly before 4pm the vessel became fully submerged underwater. The Harbourmaster supported by the Environmental Agency will look to safely recover the vessel in due course.

All road closures and majority of cordons have now been lifted and the public are able to access the area again. One cordon remains in place at the pier.

Enquiries remain ongoing to establish the cause of the fire, which is currently being treated as unexplained.

We thank the public for their patience and support whilst officers closed Torquay seafront and the surrounding area.

A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police has confirmed that all the road closures in the area have been lifted. The majority of police cordons have also been removed.

The spokesperson added: "Enquiries remain ongoing to establish the cause of the fire, which is currently being treated as unexplained."

Their statement in full reads: "Police were called at 12.10pm today [Saturday 28 May] to Princess Pier in Torquay following reports of a fire on a yacht in the marina.

"The boat is believed to have caught alight and broke away from the mooring but was later secured by the Fire Service near the pier. There have been no reported injuries.

"Shortly before 4pm the vessel became fully submerged underwater. The Harbourmaster supported by the Environmental Agency will look to safely recover the vessel in due course.

"All road closures and majority of cordons have now been lifted and the public are able to access the area again. One cordon remains in place at the pier. Enquiries remain ongoing to establish the cause of the fire, which is currently being treated as unexplained. We thank the public for their patience and support whilst officers closed Torquay seafront and the surrounding area."

Coastguards have now stood down from the Major Incident in @TorBayHarbour this afternoon. Coastguards from 9 Coastguard Rescue Teams assisted throughout the afternoon (owing to a training course being cancelled to attend). An eye opener for 11 of Devon & Cornwall newest CGs pic.twitter.com/7mcevJiTSH

Our officers have been checking air quality around Torquay harbour this afternoon following the yacht fire, which was declared a major incident. Thought to be no real issues with air quality, but we're keeping an eye on the situation.

To all residents in the #Torquay area near to the marina, please keep your windows and doors closed due to noxious fumes from the yacht fire. Crews are making steady progress extinguishing the fire.

Fire control received 47 calls to reports of a boat on fire in Torquay Marina.

Control immediately mobilised 3 Fire Engines which came from Torquay x 2 and Paignton.

Whilst on route to the incident Torquay put in an assistance message, Make Pumps 5 this was owing to a large amount of smoke plume and the fire visible from some distance.

Once on scene crews confirmed one 85 foot yacht well alight along with a portion of Torquay pier, crews were at work evacuating people from the surrounding area and fighting the fire using 1 Light Portable Pump, 2 Breathing Apparatus, and 2 Lines of Hose.

Crews are still hard at work trying to extinguish the fire using 3 Main Jets, and 2 Breathing Apparatus crews are also at work utilising the harbour masters boat to assist with firefighting efforts.

A further assistance message was received requesting Make Pumps 6 and 1 Environmental Protection Unit due to large amounts of run off from this incident.

Crews again confirm 1 85 foot yacht well alight alongside Princess Pier which is also involved in fire, all persons are accounted for and the immediate surrounding area has been evacuated, the yacht contains approximately 8000 Litres of diesel fuel, crews are currently at work using 4 Breathing Apparatus wearers, 1 Compressed Air Foam Jet, 2 45mm Jets, 2 Light Portable Pumps, water relay is currently being carried out by an open water source as well as a street hydrant being used.

This incident is ongoing and will be updated in due course.

"Police were called at 12.10pm today [Saturday 28 May] to Princess Pier in Torquay following reports of a fire on a yacht moored in the marina.

"The boat is believed to be well alight and had broken from the mooring. It has now been secured by the Fire service near the pier.

"There have been no reported injuries at this time.

"Emergency services remain at the scene where the incident is ongoing.

"Due to levels of smoke and fumes we are asking residents in the area to keep their doors and windows shut at this time. Members of the public are also urged to avoid the area and beaches are being cleared by officers for public safety.

"A number of road closures have been put in place including:

"The promenade and waterfront areas

"Torbay Road at the junction with Rathmore Road

"Belgrave Road at the junction with Chestnut Avenue

"Shedden Hill at the junction with Croft Road

"Further details will be provided in due course."

85ft yacht in fire. A few hours ago. Things have slightly escalated since this, with whole front of Torquay now closed, including all businesses pic.twitter.com/7CmK1zNJFR

#Torquay #fire not good, ended up setting the pier on fire and bridge falling into the water pic.twitter.com/yEY9hXauDh

Massive fire at Torquay harbour pic.twitter.com/FkbBHOkWHw