Authorities say the fire aboard the MV Holiday Island ferry has been extinguished and the process of removing passenger vehicles and cargo has begun.
One passenger waiting for his car is Luca McKenna, an Ontario resident whose sea journey was derailed when the ship’s alarms started sounding.
“At first I was scared, I was kind of worried,” he says.
READ MORE: PEI ferry pulled to anchor as work begins to ensure fire is fully contained
He says he and his partner were on board the ferry after visiting family in Nova Scotia and camping on PEI
They were on deck filming minutes before the boat docked when the horn sounded for the first time.
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“I thought we were just getting into the dock, but then we were kind of engulfed in smoke,” says McKenna. “That’s when I was like, ‘Fuck, that’s not cool.’
The couple and about 220 other people were evacuated without problems or injuries, Canadian Coast Guard officials said at a Sunday news conference.
Quite an eventful day, the ferry we were on caught fire and we were evacuated pic.twitter.com/t2ZboKCG4R
— Lucaboo 🏳🦊️🌈 (@rasc_angel17) July 22, 2022
McKenna, he and his partner found accommodation in PEI while they waited to hear what was next.
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Northumberland Ferries vice president Don Cormier said they hoped to collect the evacuees with their vehicles either Sunday evening or Monday. The company will arrange to send them to those who have subsequently traveled outside the area.
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He says no one suffered any “apparent” damage.
The ferry passed a mandatory annual inspection in May.
As for the extent of the damage to the ship itself, that will take some time to determine.
The fire is believed to have started in the engine room, but crews have yet to locate the source.
“We have not entered the engine room spaces and do not expect to until a thorough assessment of the ship’s stability has been made,” says Cormier.
READ MORE: Fire continues to burn on PEI-NS ferry, crossing canceled through weekend
Ferry service on the route has been canceled as a precaution for Monday, with the hope that the remaining ferry will return to schedule on Tuesday.
McKenna says that despite the circumstances, the evacuation was not a terrible experience.
“A lot of people gathered. Keep calm and do the right thing. No one is scared, no one is hurt,” he says.
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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