Fishing boats threatened by a fire Sunday night on an old wharf in Main-à-Dieu, Cape Breton, were all saved by the quick action of neighbours who scrambled to move them away from the flames.

Witnesses say the blaze lit up the sky for kilometres. Fire crews were called around 9 p.m. and it took between 50 and 60 volunteer firefighters from four stations about two hours to knock down the fire.

Ryan Kennedy was at his parents' house in the village when the family got a call that the wharf was on fire. He jumped in the car and headed down.

'It was quite a spectacle'

"We noticed that there were still boats sitting tied up," he said, "and me and my godfather jumped aboard a couple of them, tied them together and towed them out of harm's way."

The boats were not at the burning wharf, but very close by and within range of flying cinders.

Chris March, the Cape Breton Regional Municipality's deputy fire chief, said at one point the old wooden structures around the wharf were all burning at the same time, "so it was quite a spectacle."

All boats were moved safely out of the harm's way. (Kelly Bates)

The cause of the fire is not known, but it's being treated as suspicious by investigators with the Cape Breton Regional Police.

March said all the boats had been moved before firefighters arrived on the scene.

Lose a boat, lose a season

Fisherman James Mullins said the combined value of the boats in Main-à-Dieu Harbour runs into the millions.

"You look at that vessel there," he pointed, "that's worth $400,000; this one is $250,000. There's hardly a vessel in the harbour that's not worth $200,000."

The harbour is the home port for fishermen from not only Main-à-Dieu, but also nearby Louisbourg, Bateston, Catalone and other small communities.

The loss of a boat would have been crushing for any one of them.

"If you lose a boat right now [during lobster season], to go find one and turn around and go fishing ... and not to mention just the loss of your boats, but the loss of the lobsters in the traps," said Kennedy.

A big relief

His godfather, Edgar Spencer, helped fight the fire after moving his own boat away from the flames.

"My boat was closest to the fire," he said. "She was right in close to where the main part of the building structure was burning."

Witnesses said it took very little time for the old structures around the wharf to be completely destroyed, but there were no reports of damage to any of the boats.

"A big relief," said Spencer, "that I could come down this morning and go fishing."