Children rescued after fire on B.C. school ferry
No injuries have been reported after an engine fire broke out on a school boat in B.C. waters on Thursday morning.
The ferry, called the Graduate, was in Active Pass taking students and staff from Galiano Island and Mayne Island to Pender Island and Salt Spring Island when it suffered mechanical issues, according to the Gulf Islands School District (SD64).
The fire was discovered by crew members after an engine alarm activated. The flames were "quickly extinguished" and all safety procedures were followed by the operator, Gulf Islands Water Taxi, according to the school district.
First responders received reports of the fire around 7:30 a.m., according to Lt-Cdr. Tony Wright with Maritime Forces Pacific.
A Canadian Coast Guard team stationed in Ganges, on Salt Spring Island, responded to the emergency, as well as a BC Ferries vessel, the Coastal Renaissance.
The school district says 33 people – 31 students and two adults – were aboard the vessel at the time of the fire, and all passengers were safely transferred onto another Gulf Islands Water Taxi boat called the Scholar.
SD64 secretary treasurer Jesse Guy says students onboard the vessel were in Grades 6 – 12.
"We share the concern of family and community," said Guy on Thursday morning. "We have reached out to impacted families and will continue to do so."
She adds that students were met by district staff when they came ashore, and have been offered counselling supports at their schools.
"We have been assured by Gulf Island Water Taxi, the contract holder of our district's student water transportation, that all safety procedures were followed during the incident," said Guy.
The coast guard has since towed the Graduate to North Saanich, B.C., for repairs.
BC FERRIES RESPONSE
BC Ferries says it was contacted by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Victoria to assist with a vessel in distress in Active Pass on Thursday morning.
The Coastal Renaissance, which was travelling from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay at the time of the fire, launched a rescue boat to assist in the rescue.
It was later stood down by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre and BC Ferries did not take on any passengers from the Graduate.
"BC Ferries is involved in marine rescues from time to time and our crews are highly trained to respond to marine emergencies," said BC Ferries spokesperson Astrid Chang.
The ferry was delayed about 30 minutes due to the incident.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.