Four people rescued from boat fire on Lake Simcoe

Four rescued from boat fire A boat on Lake Simcoe in Oro-Medonte caught fire Sunday afternoon

Barrie, Ont. — Four people were rescued from Lake Simcoe in Oro-Medonte Sunday afternoon as their boat burned following what police call an electrical issue.

Fire officials say it happened about 10 km from the shoreline near Line 7.

Paramedics say three adults and a child were pulled from the water by another boater. They were cold but otherwise okay.

It isn’t clear what sparked the fire, but clouds of thick black smoke were visible for kilometres.

“We took the binoculars out, and the whole entire boat was completely engulfed in flames,” said witness Anna Taverna. “There were some police boats, and there were two boats with hoses.”

Police from Barrie and York Region brought in their boats to help put out the fire. The boat eventually sank.