Too many boat fires

NARROWBOAT fires are at present happening with alarming regularity—very nearly one a week.

The latest was at King's Norton on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal just above its junction with the Stratford Canal with the boat on fire in the early hours.

Burnt out and sank

By the time the fire service had been alerted and arrived at the scene the boat had already burnt out and sunk.

To ascertain if there were any bodies, a preliminary search with underwater cameras and specialist equipment was made, but showed that anyone who had been aboard must have left the scene.

A spokesman for West Midlands Fire Service told that it was up to the police to determine if a more intrusive search was required.

More boat fires

Earlier this month a narrowboat was gutted by fire at Sutton Stop at the junction of the Oxford Canal and Coventry Canal—the second at this location.  Before this a boater lit his stove on his narrowboat moored at Richmond Bridge on the Thames, that blew back, setting the boat alight.

Then there was one fire that fire fighters took an hour to quell on a narrowboat at Waltham Abbey on the Lee Navigation.

With another  on the Thames at Bourne End, one at Redhill on the Soar and another at the top of the Wigan Flight on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal. All within the past few weeks.

All too frequent

These are of course only those that we hear about, and it can be ascertained there are more, with boaters telling us of a burnt-out boat that they passed, that they have not read about.

It is essential that boaters have warning if onboard when a fire breaks out, with Rob McLean of the Boat Safety Scheme advising:

Toxic fumes

"If fire breaks out, it's the toxic smoke and fumes that are so dangerous and can kill in seconds, so it's crucial to fit a smoke alarm and test it weekly when aboard the boat.

"Ask the local fire station if you can have a boat fire risk check. You'll get good advice, valuable tips and most fire services will provide a free smoke alarm, especially if you live aboard."

However, as Rob points out, it has to be very general due to the fact they are still trying to find out causes—they're not all caused by solid fuel stoves.