Fire destroyed a small fishing vessel in Witless Bay early Saturday morning.
An official on scene told The Telegram that the fire was reported by fishermen from another vessel docked nearby. When firefighters from the Witless Bay volunteer fire department arrived on scene at the town’s fish plant, they found the boat fully engulfed in flames.
It took them about an hour to completely extinguish the blaze, including some hard-to-reach hotspots between sections of the hull but by then, the boat was taking on water through some of the holes that had burned through the sides.
Firefighters secured the boat to the wharf with several ropes in an effort to keep it from sinking. The wharf and some fishing gear near the scene of the fire were also damaged.
There was no one aboard the vessel at the time and there were no injuries.
The RCMP and the Fire Commissioner’s Office are investigating the incident.
The investigation is ongoing.
Police are asking that anyone with information about this incident to contact Ferryland RCMP at 709-432-2440. To remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (TIPS is 8477), by Secure Web Tips at www.nlcrimestoppers.com, or by downloading our free and secure mobile app. Search your App Store for "P3 Tips". Electronic tips submitted to Crime Stoppers are encrypted, entirely confidential and completely anonymous.
