Just 4 days before Christmas there was a large fire at a local marina in St. Clair Township in Port Lambton, Ontario. On Wednesday, December 20, 2011, a local man called to report a fire in what appeared to be the marina’s storage unit. By the time fire fighters showed up, there had been explosions and a constant bellowing of thick, heavy black smoke was coming from the building.
The Ontario Office of the Fire Marshal conducted an investigation and concluded an electrical problem, likely a faulty light bulb, sent a spark onto one of the 75 boats in the building. All 75 boats and 4 antique cars were destroyed in the blaze that cost just over $40 million.
When winterizing and storing your boats for the winter, please ensure they are being placed in a safe and secure storage unit. Once fiberglass has caught fire, it is extremely hard to extinguish and the fumes from it are very toxic. Please take every safety precaution to help prevent fires such as this one.