A searing inferno erupted aboard a boat moored in Vancouver’s False Creek, resulting in burn injuries for one individual, confirmed the first responders on-site.
Assistant Chief Ken Gemmill elaborated on the chaos of the event during a conversation with CTV News, revealing that authorities received an overwhelming number of emergency calls concerning the fire. Coincidentally, the flames flared up on a sizable 30-foot pleasure craft, which Gemmill detailed as being anchored to a slightly larger 40-foot sailboat, itself connected to a more compact 20-foot pleasure vessel.
The fire spared no mercy, leaving all three boats severely impaired. Gemmill recounted the daunting sight of thick smoke pillars billowing from the robust flames that were clearly visible from the shore. Despite their proximity, fire crews found themselves restricted, unable to combat the fire from the land.
Their strategy pivoted to await the arrival of Fireboat 1. Their anticipation was rewarded when, immediately upon arrival, the boat’s crew initiated pumping operations that managed to relatively quickly smother the raging flames.
Gemmill further disclosed that the intense inferno had not claimed any lives. Two individuals aboard the boat at the outbreak of the fire lived to tell the tale, managing to escape the rising flames, thanks in part to the swift intervention of a nearby boater. Their ordeal, however, did not end there, as they found themselves under the scrutinizing examination of paramedics in the aftermath.
The situation was somewhat grave, as Gemmill acknowledged the presence of a burn victim, although he couldn’t furnish details about the severity or the extent of the burns. In a concurrent turn of events, BC Emergency Health Services divulged in an email that one patient was transported to the nearest hospital, bearing critical yet stable injuries.
Adding to the ensuing pandemonium, both the Vancouver Police Department and fire department inspectors arrived on the horrific scene, furthering the ongoing investigations into the startling boat fire that capsized a tranquil evening in Vancouver’s False Creek.
