A boat docked at Crescent Beach Marina caught fire Thursday afternoon.
Shortly after noon, flames broke out on the vessel.
“They pushed the boat away from the dock,” said local resident Don Pitcairn, whose friend reported to him what happened.
“The boat was fully engulfed.”
It was pushed away from the dock – to prevent flames from spreading to any marina structures – and ended up in the Nicomekl River, he said.
Smoke from the flames could be seen from Highway 99.
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Surrey firefighters responded to the fire at about 12:20 p.m., confirmed Surrey Fire Service assistant chief Rich Bodnark.
“Upon arrival, crews reported a 35-foot pleasure craft vessel on fire in the (Nicomekl) river, approximately 75 metres from the marina,” he said.
The vessel was pushed by wind and current into a private dock about 500 metres upstream, he noted.
“Fire crews were able to make access to the dock and extinguish the fire through residential properties – the dock suffered some fire damage and the vessel, unfortunately, due to the fire, did sink eventually.”
The RCMP and Coast Guard are working with the boat’s owner to arrange the cleanup of any floating debris, and eventually, the removal of the sunken vessel itself, Bodnark said.
Sixteen firefighters attended to battle the blaze in what Bodnark called a challenging call, in gaining access to the boat on fire.
“Thankfully, there were no injuries,” he said.
“I think our crews did a really good job… gaining access and being able to fight the fire.”
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.