The Campbell River Fire Department knocked down two boat fires at Fresh Water Marina in North Campbell River on Friday evening.
Fire Chief Ian Baikie said they arrived on scene to find a 28-foot fishing vessel as well as another smaller vessel on fire at around 1:30 a.m. on Oct. 14.
Baikie said that neighbours who live in the trailer park above the marina called when they saw and heard the fire.
“Both boats were burning pretty brightly when we arrived,” he said.
They have deemed the cause of the fire suspicious and have turned the investigation over to the RCMP.
The fire originated in the larger vessel, which was adrift in the marina when the fire department arrived on scene. Baikie said the second vessel caught fire when the original bumped into it.
The vessel also bumped into the boathouse at the scene, but the firefighters were able to get it away before the fire spread to the building.
Baikie said they had three trucks and “15 or 16” firefighters on scene.
Once the fires were out they deployed booms around the vessels and dragged the larger vessel to land.
“We worked with the Coast Guard because we were worried about the first boat sinking and creating a pollution problem,” Baikie said.
There were no injuries and Baikie said he is confident no pollution from any of the vessels escaped into the marina.
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