A boat was destroyed by fire at The Narrows late Saturday afternoon, but thanks to quick-thinking marina staff, nobody was injured and the impact of the blaze was minimized.
The boat had just finished refuelling at Bridge Point Marina at about 5:15 p.m. when the fire erupted.
One witness said they heard an explosion; the explosion occurred when propane cylinders that had been stored near the port-side engine blew up.
The two people on board the vessel were able to get out of the boat quickly and were not injured, said Orillia Fire Chief Brent Thomas.
"Marina staff did a fantastic job using some extinguishers (to attempt to put out the blaze), but quickly realized the fire was spreading so the vessel was pushed away from the dock," Thomas told OrilliaMatters.
"They evacuated the area and shut down their fuel pumps before Orillia Fire arrived on scene. The staff there did exactly what their fire safety plan requires and did it well," said Thomas, in praising the efforts of marina staff.
Orillia Fire, with the assistance of Rama Fire and Ramara Fire marine units, quickly knocked down the fire then carefully extinguished the remaining fire "while being able to keep the vessel's fuel on board so as not to contaminate the waterway."
He said salvage equipment is being assembled so the vessel can be safely removed without spilling any fuel.
"We had the assistance of OPP and were in contact with the Spills Action Centre, Canadian Coast Guard and MTO Marine Safety division to ensure safety of boaters and the environment were maintained," said Thomas.
