Ladysmith Fire/Rescue were called out to douse several fires over the course of the last week, including a “suspicious” late-night boat fire in Ladysmith Harbour.
Fire Chief Ray Delcourt said LF/R responded to a call at approximately 11 p.m. August 12 regarding a boat fire off Slack Point.
Someone was living onboard the boat prior to it catching fire, Delcourt confirmed, but it was unoccupied Monday night as it burnt to the water line and sank in water deep enough that it will not pose a hazard to passing ships.
The boat blaze was deemed “suspicious,” Delcourt said, but the RCMP has yet to comment on the circumstances surrounding the fire.
In other LF/R news, fire crews responded to a trailer fire on Highway 1 at South Davis Road on the afternoon of August 11, Delcourt said. A fifth-wheel trailer had caught fire as it was being towed south along Highway 1 and fire crews were able to extinguish the blaze before it engulfed the trailer.
The following afternoon, LF/R responded to a gasoline leak at the Petro-Canada at Gatacre Street and Highway 1 that resulted in “15 gallons” of fuel seeping into the sewers, Delcourt said.
No one was injured as a result of the incident, Delcourt confirmed, adding that the leak was the result of a faulty shut-off valve.
On Wednesday, Aug. 14, LF/R responded to a call regarding a “torched stolen vehicle” off of South Watts Road at 10 a.m., Delcourt said.
The car had been set ablaze along a narrow stretch of road running through the woods south of Ladysmith, meaning it fell outside of LF/R’s jurisdiction, Delcourt said.
However, as it posed a risk of starting a forest fire, LF/R received the go-ahead from regional fire officials to hose down the smoldering car, Delcourt said.