An early-morning fire on the water in Mission has caused the City of Mission to activate its Emergency Operations Centre.
The derelict BC Ferry (Queen of Sidney) is on fire on the Fraser River. The fire happened around 2 a.m. on Saturday, May 3 and a large plume of smoke could be seen coming from the vessel.
Residents in the nearby area (Chester Street to 287 Street/South of Lougheed Highway) were advised to shelter in place to minimize exposure to any hazardous emissions.
A city press release stated, 鈥渋f you reside in the surrounding vicinity, please remain indoors, close all windows and doors, and turn off any ventilation systems that draw air from outside.鈥�
The cause of the fire hasn't been determined, per the city release.
"A formal investigation is underway, led by the RCMP in coordination with other responding agencies," the city said.
Mission RCMP say nothing indicates the fire was intentionally set but investigators haven't been able to board the vessel due to the hazardous nature of the smoke and its overall condition.
The Mission Fire Rescue Service (MFRS) and the Ministry of Environment (MOE) were actively managing the situation. Mission Search and Rescue was also called out to monitor the situation from the river.
Due to the environmental concerns, firefighters did not attack the fire but rather alerted several agencies including Coast Guard and BC Fisheries. The fire completely engulfed the old ferry which was decommissioned in 2000.
According to an update from the city at 9:30 a.m., the blaze remained active but fire behaviour and smoke production were significantly reduced from the night before.
"At this time there is nothing to indicate the fire was intentionally set, although due to the hazardous nature of the smoke and the overall condition of the vessel, investigators have not been able to board the former ferry," Cpl. Harrison Mohr with Mission RCMP stated in a press release.
The activation of the Emergency Operations Centre aims to coordinate efforts efficiently and ensure the safety of all affected individuals.
At about 1 p.m. Mayor Paul Horn told the Mission Record that 鈥渁ccording to the fire, chief, the shelter in place advisory has been removed.
鈥淲e鈥檙e asking people to stay away from the area because it is very constrained and we need to make sure that first responders are not hampered,鈥� said Horn.
鈥淭he fire department has collected drone footage with thermal and liDAR imaging. That will help with investigation and also ensuring that they can monitor the state of the fire,鈥� he added.
The Coast Guard will take over the site after the fire is extinguished.
The city has been working with the provincial and federal ministries of environment, as well as department of fisheries and oceans. According to the city the Coast Guard will send a vessel into the area to monitor soon and they have sent an air quality contractor to help monitor air quality in the area. No evidence from any of their resources of water pollution as a result of the fire.
鈥淢ission City Council will continue to advocate for a more assertive approach to derelict vessels in our waterways. As recently as December 20, 2023, we wrote to the federal government and stated that we were not content to wait for this vessel to become a greater hazard. It is very unfortunate that those concerns have been realized and we will be pushing for provincial and federal agencies to learn from this example,鈥� said Horn.
