RCMP called in as derelict ferry burns after ‘suspicious' blaze overnight
A statement from the City of Mission said its emergency operations centre was activated early Saturday after a fire aboard the Queen of Sidney ferry, which is currently sitting in the waters of the Fraser River, approximately two kilometres from the municipality of 41,500 people.
RCMP in Mission said in a statement that Mission firefighters notified them of the fire around 2 a.m. Saturday. The vessel was completely engulfed in flames.
Both police and the city urged residents nearby to remain inside because of smoke and the potential presence of hazardous airborne materials. Residents near the blaze were also advised to keep their doors and windows closed and turn off ventilation systems that bring in outside air.
Story continues below advertisement
View image in full screen
The Queen of Sidney burned through the night in Mission, B.C. Global News
The retired BC Ferries vessel was in operation from 1960 until its retirement in 2000.
Get daily National news
Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
Its current owners, who renamed it Bad Adventure, have reportedly had a long history of squabbles with local and provincial politicians.
Mission said that following a co-ordination call earlier Saturday, multiple agencies are actively engaged in managing the situation and what happens to the ship next.
These include the Mission Fire Rescue Service, the provincial and federal ministries of environment, the RCMP, and the Canadian Coast Guard. The Canadian Coast Guard is deploying to the scene to assist with marine and environmental safety operations, the city said.
View image in full screen
Global News
On its website, the City of Mission said the cause of the fire had not been determined but added it 'is considered suspicious.' It did not elaborate.
Story continues below advertisement
The RCMP added: 'At this time there is nothing to indicate the fire was intentionally set, although due to the hazardous nature of the smoke and the overall condition of the vessel, investigators have not been able to board the former ferry.'
Mission authorities said the fire was under control by mid-afternoon but warned that the mass of charred metal would continue to smolder for several more days.
The fire onboard the derelict ship represents a tragic, undignified end for a once storied vessel.
The ferry was one of the first two first ordered built by then-B.C. premier W.A.C. Bennett when he created the BC Ferries Crown corporation in 1958.
During its maiden voyage two years later, Bennett also introduced British Columbia's new provincial flag after pulling it out of a suitcase and running it up the mast.
Story continues below advertisement
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Global News
16 hours ago
- Global News
Harbour Cruise boat to be inspected by 3rd party after hitting rocks off West Vancouver
The vessel that ran aground near Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver on Sunday morning will be inspected by a third party, the company involved said in a statement on Monday. MV Harbour Princess belongs to Harbour Cruises, a local cruise ship and marine operator. The boat hit rocks east of Point Atkinson near Lighthouse Park, with the marine rescue coordination centre notified of the crash around 11:30 a.m. Harbour Cruises said the collision resulted in minor damage to the ship and one of the passengers suffered minor injuries. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The Transportation Safety Board will investigate the incident and out of an abundance of caution, the vessel will be hauled out of the water for an inspection by a third party. Harbour Cruises said it expects the boat to be back in service in seven to 10 days. Story continues below advertisement The company, which is owned by the Graham Clarke Group, has been in operation since 1908. 'I'd like to extend my sympathies to our passengers who had their cruise affected by this unfortunate situation,' said Graham Clarke, owner of Graham Clarke Group. 'We pride ourselves on an excellent safety record that goes back nearly 120 years. Thankfully, just one passenger experienced an injury. I'd also like to thank our crew for their quick response as well as the Canadian Coast Guard, Vancouver Police Department marine squad and Joint Rescue Coordination Centre for their assistance.' The company confirmed all passengers were refunded their fares and any passengers booked on upcoming cruises will be served by a different vessel.
Global News
20 hours ago
- Global News
Hawrelak Park to reopen in late 2025 after years-long rehabilitation closure
One of Edmonton's largest and most beloved parks will reopen later this year after being closed since 2023 for an extensive above and underground overhaul. An extensive three-year rehabilitation has been taking place at Hawrelak Park in the North Saskatchewan River Valley, and the city says construction continues on time and on budget, with many of the 'finishing touches' being added this summer. 'Over the last few months, there was substantial progress on the picnic shelters, main pavilion and the operations yard, including the Heritage Festival storage area,' said a statement this weekend from Jesse Banford, the director of facility infrastructure delivery with the City of Edmonton's integrated infrastructure services department. View image in full screen An aerial view from Aug. 1, 2025, shows nearly complete construction at Hawrelak Park in Edmonton's river valley. Global 1 helicopter The rehabilitation work includes updates to the main pavilion structure and plaza's finishes, fixtures, skate flooring, commercial kitchen, mechanical and electrical systems and adding gender-neutral washrooms. Story continues below advertisement 'Work has continued within the facilities, with most buildings now dry-walled. Earlier this spring, remaining site work resumed, including electrical, landscaping and paving.' The city said it's working on details for reopening the park this winter, as planned. 'The guarantee that we have is that it will be open for the Silver Skate Festival, which, as you know, is one of Edmonton's best winter festivals,' said city Coun. Michael Janz. Most of the infrastructure in Hawrelak was original to the park since its opening in 1967 and had exceeded its lifespan. View image in full screen An aerial view from Aug. 1, 2025, shows nearly complete construction at Hawrelak Park in Edmonton's river valley. Global 1 helicopter Before finalizing the plan, there was extensive debate over which route to take: take down portions of the park and complete the work over a decade while maintaining limited access, or undertake a complete three-year closure to get it all done at once. Story continues below advertisement The city elected for the latter, despite an outcry from some community groups. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'The only silver lining I can think of in the park closure has been that many Edmontonians have discovered other parks in the city, other river valley amenities, other ways to get outside and enjoy their community,' Janz said. 'I've seen so many families this year out at different spaces, different picnic tables — whether it's Emily Murphy, whether it's Borden, other places they may not usually go because Hawrelak Park was the go-to spot. 'Edmonton has so many wonderful parks, wonderful amenity spaces. Visitors are blown away how you can be in the middle of the river valley in a city of 1.25 million people and experience solitude. It's beautiful.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Edmonton has so many wonderful parks, wonderful amenity spaces. Visitors are blown away how you can be in the middle of the river valley in a city of 1.25 million people and experience solitude. It's beautiful." View image in full screen Hawrelak Park has been closed from 2023 to 2025 for rehabilitation in Edmonton's river valley. Credit: City of Edmonton The Hawrelak Park project addressed outdated utilities, transportation, open spaces and facility infrastructure throughout the entire park. Story continues below advertisement A large part of the work involved digging up and replacing underground lines and pipes. The city has replaced the entire storm sewer, irrigation and water systems and upgraded power, gas and telecommunications. It also expanded water service to provide firefighting coverage in several areas of the park. View image in full screen An aerial view from Aug. 1, 2025, shows nearly completed updates at Hawrelak Park in Edmonton's river valley. Global 1 helicopter That underground work is now complete, the city said. 'Throughout this summer, we expect to see the remaining sod placed, plantings installed, pathways paved, and Hawrelak Park Lake refilled,' Banford said. 'Landscaping (trees, shrubs, grass, etc.) will need time to establish and develop a strong root system before the park can reopen to the public.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Landscaping (trees, shrubs, grass, etc.) will need time to establish and develop a strong root system before the park can reopen to the public." The Heritage Amphitheatre will also see several changes: new outdoor seating and finishes as well as lighting, structural, mechanical and electrical upgrades, along with the addition of family/gender-neutral washrooms and increased storage. The green room and back-of-house access will also be reconfigured. Story continues below advertisement In the park's open spaces, the playground and paddle boat dock will be replaced. Banford said the playground equipment was also recently installed. View image in full screen An aerial view from Aug. 1, 2025, shows some of the updates at Hawrelak Park in Edmonton's river valley. Global 1 helicopter The city is adding more lighting, bicycle parking and shared-use paths, connecting amenities, and repaving all roads. Sediment from the bottom of the lake has also been dredged. The work should leave the massive river valley park updated for decades to come. 1:44 220 trees to be cut down in Hawrelak Park as part of rehabilitation project The city said the target for construction completion is early fall, but other work will have to take place before Hawrelak can reopen for visitors. Story continues below advertisement 'Before resuming park operations, the project team will also install site furniture (including picnic tables and benches), equipment, signage, garbage/recycling receptacles and information boards. Staff preparation will also occur,' Banford said. 'Hawrelak Park is an active construction site with the project team working diligently to complete seasonal work.' Events like the Heritage Festival, taking place this weekend in Border Park, will be able to return home next summer. Heritage organizers said part of the agreement to move the food and culture festival included a memorandum of understanding with the City of Edmonton guaranteeing a right to return to Hawrelak Park, an agreement about incremental cost coverage and improvements to the site's egress. The city said there will be a media tour of the site later this year when the park landscaping and pathways are established and ready for increased foot traffic.
Global News
21 hours ago
- Global News
Wildfire in eastern Newfoundland prompts evacuations in small communities
See more sharing options Send this page to someone via email Share this item on Twitter Share this item via WhatsApp Share this item on Facebook Residents of several small communities in eastern Newfoundland have been told to leave their homes as a 150-hectare wildfire continues to burn on the west side of Conception Bay. Just before 2 p.m. local time, the provincial government issued evacuation orders for the towns of Small Point–Adam's Cove–Blackhead–Broad Cove and Kingston. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The alert says the fire is about one kilometre from this group of communities. The province's Forestry Department says water bombers, helicopters and ground crews are assisting volunteer fire departments. Last night, the provincial department issued an alert about possible evacuations. At the time, the size of the fire was believed to be only 25 hectares. Provincial officials have set up a reception centre for displaced residents at the Persalvic School Complex in Victoria, N.L.
