Seven people rescued from burning boat in Detroit River

No one was injured, officials say

Seven people were rescued from a burning boat that sank on the Canadian side of the Detroit River early Thursday Morning, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard station Belle Isle sent its response boat to the scene to rescue the boaters and take them to the Harbor Town Marina, the Coast Guard said in a news release issued Thursday.

There were no reported injuries.

Windsor’s harbourmaster, Peter Berry, received a phone call at around 3 a.m. informing him that the 13-metre (45-foot) American vessel was experiencing an engine fire and was drifting into Canadian waters, Berry said.

“I arrived on scene. … the boat had drifted underneath the Ambassador Bridge by that point. It was spectacular to see.,” he said.

“You know, the flames were 20, 30 feet in the air. The whole vessel was burning.”

U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard vessels accompanied the vessel as it drifted down the river to ensure it didn’t make contact with other boats or structures on the shore, Berry said.

They accompanied the vessel for about an hour and a half before it sank, he said.

Everyone aboard the boat had been wearing lifejackets, the Coast Guard said.

A commercial salvaging company reported that the vessel sank in an area of the river with a charted depth of 12 metres (40 feet), and there were no signs of pollution.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, the Coast Guard said.

Heather Kitching reports local news for CBC stations across Ontario and the North. You can reach her at heather.kitching@cbc.ca.