Smoke but no Fire

By Elizabeth Schneider

August 6 -- Looking out his office window Tuesday afternoon Councilman Richard Bloom saw "what looked like a small vessel with a lot of white grayish smoke trailing from it and a Coast Guard helicopter circling above it."

"It was a pretty helpless feeling just watching," Bloom said, describing what appeared to be the vessel slowly sinking.

Bloom wasn't the only one gripped by the scene unfolding beyond the pier. According to Pier and Harbor Services Officer Matt Anderson, a police boat was headed out to the smoky scene when officers on board were informed that both the Coast Guard helicopter and smoke were part of a training exercise.

Usually informed about these drills, police department spokesman Lt. Frank Fabraga said it seems the Coast Guard "inadvertently forgot to call us."

U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson Chris Huberty said the smoke came from a flare which was set in the water as a visual reference point for helicopter training. The exercise, Huberty says, helps pilots maintain a steady hover while practicing hoisting exercises.