Former Rhythm City Casino boat burns in new home

The large riverboat that used to house the Rhythm City Casino in Davenport caught fire on McKellar Lake in Memphis on Thursday.

Owner Capt. William Lozier with Memphis Riverboats said the boat was being deconstructed by scrap workers when the debris fire began.

No one was injured, he said.

It was the latest stage in a long strange trip for the former casino.

Memphis Riverboats originally wanted to use the boat to host weddings, proms and other events near its other boats on the Beale Street Landing.

But after a dispute with the Riverfront Development Corporation last year, the boat was left grounded downriver. Lozier said workers were tearing it down to be used as a barge.

In 2016, the city spent $1.7 million on a new firefighting barge for river fires but that barge hadn’t been deployed Thursday afternoon.