Shortly after 4PM on Thursday afternoon, Berwick Firefighters were dispatched to a report of a fishing vessel on fire in Harbourville.
Prior to arrival, initial reports indicated that there was a boat and wharf on fire. Heavy black smoke was visible from the crest of the mountain and also seen from Advocate Harbour, across the water in Cumberland County.
Quick response from firefighters ensured apparatus were on the road to the incident in a timely fashion, with the fire being off the valley floor along the shore.
Crews faced heavy fire conditions on arrival, with a boat tied to the wharf fully involved during low tide, numerous debris on fire, wharf on fire and electrical hazards.
Due to the amount of fire load, the fire had burned the power-lines, causing them to fall down.
Additional fire departments were called with tankers and manpower from Waterville, Aylesford & Kentville.
Firefighters worked to ensure the fire was out for a few hours and managed to get on the vessel to check for hot spots.
Nova Scotia Power was called to attend to the down lines while Kings District RCMP also assisted with traffic control during the incident. Kingston Firefighters also provided standby coverage at the Berwick Fire station during the fire.
Department of Environment was also contacted as fuel leaked from the vessel into the water.
Berwick Fire Chief, Luke Redden, was able to confirm that no one was on the vessel at the time of the fire and there were no reported injuries as a result.
While visiting the shore often, it’s quite windy on occasions. Thankfully there were no winds to drive the fire further and the tide wasn’t in, which potentially could have caused more damage to adjacent boats and buildings.
The boat was considered a total loss and significant damage was notable to the wharf. The fire is being treated as undetermined.
Adrian J.
