Article content continued

“It appears an electrical connection shorted and a fire broke out,” he said. “It was on a big trailer and something may have bounced around … the packaging came loose and a fire started. The fire was contained in the engine, but it is being assessed to get the scope of the damage before it is repaired.”

There is no concern that the boat is unsafe because of the fire, said Gormick, adding that the vessel had been taken apart to transport.

He did not know how long it would take to repair the damaged boat, but said firefighters will continue to use the old boats until the new ones are ready. Gormick added that MetalCraft, or its insurers, will be on the hook for repair costs. The company did not return calls by deadline.

One of the new boats arrived on Monday, and is being held at a marina in North Vancouver until staff can be trained.

The old boats are past their 20-year service life and are costly to maintain, said Gormick. “These new boats are bigger and faster, capable of doing more and keeping crew safe,” he said. Each boat has a pumping capacity of 7,000 gallons per minute at 150 psi, and a complement of 40 specially trained firefighters.

Two years ago, when firefighters worked to put out a blaze on a trestle under the Oak Street Bridge, they had to wear full gear to protect themselves from the thick black smoke, but it was cumbersome to operate the boats in all that gear.