A Nackawic, N.B., woman is crediting safe boating practices with saving the lives of her husband and children. Their pontoon boat burst into flames last weekend before exploding and sinking in the St. John River.
It was a harrowing time for Becky York, her husband, two children and dog.
“I peeked over the back of the boat and there were flames coming up over the back of the boat,” said York. “There was gas in the water. We’re still not clear as to what happened.”
York and her family managed to escape the flames unharmed. The boat was destroyed.
York says the family knew what to do in an emergency: they put life-jackets on and got off the boat.
“Things happen fast and you always need to be prepared for an emergency and boating safety is really what saved us,” she said.
York says she’s always been a bit of a safety freak, saying that she was apprised of safety issues related to boating and always made it a priority for her family.
“We always talk about what we need to do in an emergency. Why do we have life jackets, where are they and where are the paddles in case we need those things and where is the fire extinguisher,” she said.
The Canadian Red Cross is applauding the family for taking boating safety so seriously, especially the wearing of life-jackets. It says an emergency is never a good time to be scrambling to put life-jackets on people, especially children.
York says the trauma of the fire won’t keep her family away from boating.
“We had our kids swimming in the river yesterday,” York said. “We don’t want them to be scared. We want this to be something that we all learn from.”