Fire crews are responding to the scene of a massive marina fire on Shuswap Lake in B.C.’s Interior.
Keith Phare said he was out boating around 1 p.m. on Monday when he saw heavy smoke billowing from the Captain’s Cove Marina in Salmon Arm.
“I just launched my boat and I noticed black smoke coming up, so I went over there,” Phare told Global News. “It seemed like the fire was jumping from one boat to another.”
Emergency responders were initially blocked from accessing the site due to a passing train, he said.
“They couldn’t get there right away. I don’t know how many boats were destroyed but it didn’t look good.”
He said he then heard a popping noise: “It could’ve been a gas tank on a boat or fiber glass popping — they sometimes do that.”
BC Emergency Health Services said it received a call at 12:55 p.m. from the local fire department to assist with an incident.
Two paramedic crews were dispatched, and one patient was transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
“I just feel for the people who own the boats there because we’ve just got summer and now they’ve lost their boats,” Phare said.
The City of Salmon Arm said in a tweet that the public should avoid the area because of the fire.
According to the marina’s website, the business offers marine sales and service, and rentals for boats, jet skis, tubes and paddleboards.
More to come.