Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service Newsdesk

Pontoon Off Turnaware Bar, near St Just-in-Roseland at 24/01/2009 01:19

At 0119hrs Cornwall County Fire Brigade recieved a call to a boat on fire alongside a mid-river pontoon.

Two fire appliances from St Mawes attended this incident from the Turnaware Point side of the pontoon, one fire appliance from Truro attended the King Harry slipway on the Trelissick Gardens side of the river and firefighters from Falmouth attended in Transco Phoenix, the Brigade's rigid-inflatable fire boat.

Both the all-weather and inshore lifeboats from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution's (RNLI) Falmouth station attended and transferred firefighters from the shore to the pontoon.

On the initial call, it was confirmed that a passing yacht had taken on board the two people from the 30ft motor cruiser, which was well alight alongside the pontoon. They were later taken to Falmouth by lifeboat, suffering shock.

The fire had quickly spread to engulf the vessel and gas cylinders on the boat exploded. Along with these, there was half a tank of fuel and an off-shore flare pack on the vessel.

Firefighters used a light portable pump to supply one jet to extinguish the fire. The burnt-out hull of the boat was towed by harbour launch and beached on Turnaware Bar, where firefighters continued to damp it down.

The last of the fire crews left the incident at 0430hrs and the Truro Harbourmaster will be arranging recovery of the wreckage.

This was a multi-agency operation, with the fire brigade, RNLI, Coastguard and the Truro Harbourmaster working closely together, once again, to deal with an emergency.