Boat fire at Queenborough marina as firefighters and paramedics called and witnesses report hearing explosion
19:28, 21 October 2020
updated: 20:50, 21 October 2020
A fishing boat moored in a marina has been engulfed in flames after a huge explosion was heard.
Firefighters and paramedics were called to the quayside in Queenborough on the Isle of Sheppey.
Plumes of black smoke were seen billowing into the sky for miles.
The boat was moored on the all tide landing stage when it exploded into a ball of flame at around 6pm this evening.
Two fire crews and an ambulance are on the scene.
The blaze has since been put out by firefighters wearing breathing apparatus.
One person has been treated by paramedics at the scene for the effects of breathing in smoke.
The 22ft (6.7 metre) vessel was well alight when firefighters arrived and used a main jet hose and light portable pump to extinguish the flames.
But about 80% of the vessel was destroyed by the fire.
The cause has not yet been established, the fire service said.
Firefighters tackling the boat blaze
Harbour director Geof Reed said: “We heard a boat exploded and called the emergency services. There was a column of smoke coming off it”
The Sheppey Coastguard team has now been allowed near the boat by the fire crews to check for damage to the all tide landing stage.
It is understood the boat’s owner is from Dartford and had been working on the engine earlier today.
