SWAN QUARTER — Please help this family — losing a boat and livelihood hits hard.
Here’s what happened — a fire destroyed a commercial shrimp trawler docked in Swan Quarter in the early morning hours of Tuesday, leaving a third-generation fishing family without their livelihood.
The Swan Quarter Volunteer Fire Department received the call at 4 a.m. that the Lewis Boys, a 75-foot trawler, was ablaze at the dock. Eleven firefighters responded to what became an all-day operation. There were no injuries or fatalities, according to the Swan Quarter Volunteer Fire Department where this photo comes from.
Mark Lewis, the owner and captain of the vessel, was aboard when the fire broke out. He was awoken in time to escape before the blaze consumed the boat.
“Mark awoke to a fire onboard his shrimp trawler,” according to a GoFundMe campaign launched on behalf of the family. “We are so thankful that Mark was awoken and was able to make it off the boat.”
Despite the efforts of both Lewis and firefighters, the Lewis Boys was declared a total loss.
For the Lewis family, the loss goes far beyond property. A third-generation commercial shrimper, Mark and his wife, Ashley, are raising two sons — Jacob, 18, a recently named Eagle Scout currently in Army Reserve basic training, and Walker, 9. The family is deeply involved in Boy Scout Troop 252.
“For commercial fishermen, a boat is more than equipment,” supporters wrote on the GoFundMe page — click here. “It’s their livelihood, their way of providing for their family, and in Mark’s case, a lifetime of hard work and sacrifice.”
Organizers note that most commercial fishermen cannot afford insurance on their vessels.
“Most fishermen are unable to afford the astronomical insurance premiums needed to insure their vessels, just praying that they elude a tragic event such as this,” the appeal states.
Supporters describe the family as pillars of their community.
“They are truly ‘salt of the earth’ in every sense of the phrase,” organizers wrote.
Donations can be made by searching for the Lewis Boys GoFundMe campaign online.
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