Boat sinks after catching fire along Allegheny River

The City of Pittsburgh Police are investigating a boat fire along the Allegheny River that happened late on Tuesday night. Now, the search for the boat's owner and the determination of the cause are underway. 

Boats along the Allegheny River are not an unusual sight, but boats underneath the water are different. Investigators are still trying to figure out how it caught fire, and they also want to know who the person was who was seen fleeing the vessel not long after it went up in smoke. 

It was a pretty quiet night along the southern side of the river near the Roberto Clemente Bridge - until it wasn't. 

"I heard a very loud explosion," recalled Paul Janicke. 

"He woke me up and said there was an explosion, and there's a boat on fire," added Joanne Janicke.

The Janickes live in an apartment above where the boat erupted in flames. Not long after, Pittsburgh firefighters arrived, battling the flames both from the river and the shore, leaving their hands full. 

They said the boat was completely engulfed in flames. 

Police said they're looking into the video that apparently showed someone exit the boat and then run before it burned and sank. 

Whatever the cause, the task of removing the boat from the water remains, and according to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission said the owner of the vessel is responsible for the salvage and removal.  

Public Safety said that the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission has been notified, and anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the city's Fire Investigation Unit at 412-782-7646.