An investigation remains underway as officials continue to search the Ladysmith Harbour for any signs of a woman who was last seen alive on board a large vessel that went ablaze early Saturday morning.
At 5:19 a.m., Ladysmith RCMP responded to a fire at the Ladysmith Marina. Front line RCMP officers arrived at the Gladden Road area marina to find the Ladysmith Fire Department and BC Emergency Health Services on scene and the vessel fully engulfed in flames. One of two occupants aboard the boat were rescued by the operator of a small skiff.
“Tragically the second occupant of the boat, a woman in her 60s, was unable to escape the blaze,” states Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey, spokesperson for the BC RCMP. “The man who had been rescued from the boat sustained what police believe to be non-life threatening injuries. He was taken to hospital by BC Emergency Health Services for medical attention.”
The approximate 50-foot vessel had gone adrift in the harbour and was safely towed to shore by the Ladysmith Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue. The fire was fully extinguished by the Ladysmith Fire Department at Slag Point.
RCMP divers with the Underwater Recovery Team (URT) searched the area Saturday night, but have not found the woman.
Anyone who witnessed the fire is asked to speak with the Ladysmith RCMP at 250-245-2215.
A boat caught fire in Ladysmith Harbour early on Saturday, Feb. 27. (Photo submitted)
A boat caught fire in Ladysmith Harbour early on Saturday, Feb. 27. (Photo submitted)
