Boat sinks after catching fire in Victoria Harbour

CHEK

Flames are seen from a boat fire near Victoria’s Fisherman’s Wharf on Aug. 2. Courtesy of Jose Ramon Montano Lozano

A boat has sunk in Victoria Harbour after catching fire.

According to the Victoria Fire Department, a vessel was floating just off Laurel Point at Victoria Marine Fuels when it caught on fire at around 11:43 p.m. The caller who reported that he had a boat on fire at the fuel dock said it smelled electrical but he couldn’t confirm that.

According to Victoria Fire, the owners of the vessel were at the fuel dock and had just filled up two 100-gallon tanks before the fire broke out.

“Apparently this family from Washington was fuelling up at the fuel dock,” Acting Battalion Chief Greg Batters said.

“They heard a pop, saw some flames, just as they were completing their fill up. It got quite hot and they pushed up the boat off the wharf to get away from the fuel dock. It started burning quite rapidly.”

When fire crews got to the vessel, they reported the boat was approximately 40 feet (12 metres) from the fuel dock. The vessel drifted across the water while a Victoria Fire Department fire boat sprayed it with foam.

The fire temporarily shut down the fuel dock.

Boat Fire in Victoria

WATCH LIVE: Crews fight boat fire near Victoria's Fisherman's Wharf

Posted by CHEK News: Official Page on Wednesday, August 2, 2017

Smoke from the blaze could be seen around Victoria. The Victoria Fire Department told people on shore near the scene to leave at the time due to fuel on the boat. The boat was t

At around 12:40 p.m., the Victoria Fire Department said the boat was about 90 per cent underwater and grounded at the Songhees shoreline. Batters said it was challenging to extinguish the fire because the fuel was loose on the vessel.

The Canadian Coast Guard was also at the scene and have put up booms in the area to contain any leaked fuels. The coast guard is reporting minimal pollution and they believe most of the oil was burned off. They are working with the owner and an insurance company to salvage the vessel.

Batters said they believe the fire was due to a broken fuel line, but it is still under investigation.

WATCH: Raw video of the boat fire. Courtesy of Sarah Cairns.

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boatfirevideo2

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Coming back from one of my trips ?Boat on fire in the inner harbour. Whoa…

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A boat is seen on fire near Victoria’s Fisherman’s Wharf on Aug. 2. Courtesy of Sarah Cairns

A boat is seen on fire near Victoria’s Fisherman’s Wharf on Aug. 2. Courtesy of Katelynn Schriner

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