Boat fire: Investigation launched at Prince Edward Island

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is investigating Friday’s fire on a ferry from Nova Scotia to Prince Edward Island with more than 200 people on board.

“The fire continues to burn inside the engine room and the exhaust funnels of the Holiday Island with smoke coming from the ship’s funnels,” the ship’s vice president said in a statement Saturday.

The Canadian Coast Guard was called in to monitor the situation.

“Switcher Bedford, a tug with some firefighting capabilities, was able to apply boundary cooling to the ship’s sides and car decks. SIMEC, the environmental response organization, was able to deploy a boom around the ship as a precaution,” said Mr. Cormier.

In this regard, the Coast Guard stated that the rescue operation was completed in the afternoon, while all the crew members who remained on board were evacuated on Friday evening.

So far, no signs of pollution near the ship have been reported.

More than 80 vehicles were on board when the ferry connecting Caribou Harbor and Wood Islands Harbor caught fire around 11 a.m. on Friday. No injuries were reported at the scene and all pets were evacuated.

“We are doing our best to recover these vehicles and their contents as soon as possible. […] Our customer service teams continue to work with affected customers, focusing on getting them back to where they live,” said Mr. Cormier said.

On Twitter, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was “relieved” to know the passengers were safe and well.

“Today was a terrible day for the passengers and crew aboard the MV Holiday Island, their families and loved ones,” Prince Edward Island Premier Dennis King wrote Friday.

As a result, the ferry service has been suspended over the weekend.