Firefighters battle barge blaze on Fraser River

CTV Vancouver: Barge burns on Fraser River Heavy smoke from a barge fire on the Fraser River could be seen across Metro Vancouver Monday.

Fire crews eventually managed to douse a barge blaze on the Fraser River Monday despite a number of challenges hindering their efforts.

The vessel was floating near Crescent Island and Stave River, between Maple Ridge and Mission, when the fire broke out around 3:30 p.m.

CTV’s Chopper 9 captured the flames tearing through a large piece of construction equipment on the barge shortly after as smoke billowed into the sky.

The position of the barge, which is docked away from another vessel, made it difficult to access for crews who were battling it from the shore.

Making matters worse, the lack of a nearby fire hydrant meant crews had to drive back and forth from the scene to fill up with water. Two portable pumps were also used to take water from the river.

Crews had to take a break extinguishing the flames over fears the barge would take on too much water and capsize, but still managed to knock the fire down around 6 p.m.

The cause has not been determined but officials said a worker was using a torch to take the barge apart shortly before the fire broke out.

No one was injured.

The Ministry of Environment has been notified about the fire and is expected to assess the area for any potential environmental impact.