Boater dies in Kennet & Avon boat fire

THE body, believed to be that of a woman, was found yesterday, Friday, in a burnt-out narrowboat on the Kennet & Avon Canal at Honey Street, near Pewsey.

It was an early towpath walker who alerted the emergency services of the fire at around 6am with the boat Cobra engulfed in flames, Alan Tilbury reports.

It took fire officers some considerable time time to douse the fire, and then make the vessel safe enough for officers wearing breathing apparatus to break their way in, and fire investigators to get aboard.

It was not until the middle of the day that the police were able to confirm that they were dealing with a fatal incident, after a body was discovered, with the investigation continuing as to its cause.

This tragedy is very poignant, as next week sees the Boat Fire Safety Week, with the Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service, supported by the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust, emphasising the dangers of fire safety in boats, as featured in narrowboatworld.

The narrowboat was moored at the Old Builders' Wharf in Pewsey.