Austrian’s €300,000 yacht wrecked by blaze in Croatia

Insurance experts are set to investigate after an Austrian couple’s pricey yacht was devastated by a blaze last night (Thurs) in Croatia.Owner Harald Kiefer, from Feldbach from the province of Styria, said today the Sea Ray vessel caught fire shortly after 7pm at a pier near the Hotel Adriatic in Vrboska on the island of Hvar in the Adriatic Sea.Kiefer, 62, explained he failed to extinguish the blaze with a handheld fire drencher. The blaze was eventually dealt with by local fire-fighters around two hours later, he said, adding that neither himself nor his 57-year-old partner Edith Pieber were injured.The holidaymaker said he had no idea why the 300,000-Euro ship called “Bora 4” – now a write-off – caught fire.Local officials said no petrol leaked into the sea in the incident, according to the Croatian Times.Insurance investigators are expected to examine the remains of the yacht shortly.