Three people treated for smoke inhalation after fire on Auckland ferry

Friday, 1 November 2019

Emergency services responded to a fire on ferry in Auckland.

Three people, including two crew members, have been injured after an engine fire on a passenger ferry in Auckland.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand shift manager Craig Dally said the Fullers ferry had a 'small fire' in the engine which was now extinguished.

A St John spokeswoman said three people who had been travelling on the ferry were being treated by paramedics.

The ferry, which had been coming to Auckland from Waiheke Island had 97 passengers on board.

'Two people are in a minor condition and one is in a moderate condition,' the spokeswoman said.

She said no one would need to be transported to hospital.

A spokeswoman from Auckland Transport said the fire happened on-board the 2pm ferry service from Waiheke Island, in the engine room.

'There was visible smoke inside the cabin and passengers were moved to the outside deck,' the spokeswoman said.

There were 97 passengers and five crew on board the vessel.

Paramedics could be seen at the ferry terminal.

'One of those being treated by paramedics is an elderly passenger being treated for breathing issues,' the spokeswoman said.

'The next couple of Waiheke Island services will be operation from pier 1c.'

A reporter at the scene said a Coastguard boat was flanking the ferry as it came in to dock, a fire hose was also rolled out down the length of Pier 2.

Most of the passengers appeared to be gathered on the upper deck, and three firefighters could be seen on the lower deck.

A guide who was leading a group of tourists on Waiheke Island said smoke filled the lower cabin when one of the ferry's engines caught fire, but said passengers did not feel in any danger.

All passengers were moved to the outside deck of the ferry.

'We slowed down right away and they said there was a fire on the starboard side engine.

'They made us go up onto the top deck and we were kind of quiet for a while, but eventually we got moving again.'

He commended Fuller's staff for how they handled the situation: 'They did a great job of taking care of us'.

A Fullers 360 spokesperson said a 'proactive response from professionally trained crew' meant the fire was quickly identified and extinguished.

'Customers and crew were moved to the upper deck for their safety and comfort in accordance with our incident response plan.

'Emergency services were called and assisted with the response, and we can confirm two crew members suffered from smoke inhalation.

'We apologise to customers on board for any distress and disruption caused by this incident. Safety is our number one priority, ensuring customer and crew wellbeing on-board.'

The cause of the fire would be fully investigated by Fullers, the spokesperson said.

'We recommend customers keep an eye on their MyFerry app and our website for updates on ferry services.'