One person was injured Wednesday, Aug. 13, when an explosion on a vessel anchored in Ladysmith Harbour sparked a blaze. The fire burned through the anchor rope, sending the boat drifting north into the harbour. Black smoke from the fire was visible to motorists on the Island Highway. “The department was notified shortly after 4 p.m. that there was a boat on fire and adrift in the harbour,” said Ladysmith Fire/Rescue (LFR) chief Chris Geiger. “Chief training officer Dan Cross requested a page out of the department.” Geiger said a boat operator in the harbour managed to attach a line and, after a few attempts, towed the burning boat to Slag Point, where LFR crews extinguished the remaining flames. “A dinghy, also on fire, was separated from the main boat and came ashore on the other side of the harbour where North Oyster Fire/Rescue dealt with it,” Geiger said. An LFR truck and crew, along with two ambulances, attended the scene. Volunteers from the local Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue (RCM-SAR) as well as the Coast Guard were also on hand to assist. Ladysmith RCMP detachment commander S/Sgt. Trevor Busch said “I can confirm that the Ladysmith RCMP did respond to this fire and assisted Ladysmith Fire/Rescue, the local Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue (RCM-SAR) as well as the Coast Guard. One male was taken aboard the RCMP vessel, he had minor injuries and was later transferred to RCM-SAR and taken to Emergency Health Services at the government dock.” The cause of the fire has not been determined. It is not yet known if there are environmental impacts.
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