In the morning of June 29, 2018, a fire broke out aboard the “Columbia”, which was docked at the Bellingham Cruise Terminal.
At 8:15 a.m. crew members saw black smoke coming from a bow vent at waterline level and at the door to the bow thruster engine room. The ship’s fire alarm was sounded and crew members went to their posts, including the ship’s firefighting team. The Bellingham Fire Department sent two engine crews to assist.
No casualties
A total of 190 passengers and unknown number of cars were still aboard the “Columbia”. The passengers left the ship and firefighters searched it to make sure no one remained aboard at the time of the fire. An automatic system sealed the doors to the engine room and the crew activated the boat’s on-board CO2 fire-suppression system.
Harmful gases contained
The firefighters monitored the devices and sensors that showed the presence of carbon monoxide. It was captured in the room that houses the bow thruster engine. The cause of the fire is cannot be determined until a damage assessment could be conducted.
Firefighters and other officials was not able to enter the room until noon. In the evening the ferry was still in port and had its scheduled sailing cancelled.
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Source: Bellingham Herald
