Five escape from boat blaze unhurt

Staff on the Explore catamaran try to put out the blaze. PHOTOS/STEPHEN WESTERN

A Labour Day boating trip ended badly for a Northland family when their launch caught fire off Russell's waterfront.

The family of five was rescued unharmed but their 7m fibreglass launch was destroyed.

The drama began just after 5pm on Monday with boaties, Russell Radio and an Explore catamaran involved in the rescue and initial attempts to put out the blaze. Russell firefighters, ferried out on the fishing boat Medea, managed to douse the flames using portable pumps.

It is understood the launch had just been serviced at Opua and was heading to Russell from Waitangi.

Northland Regional Council harbourmaster Jim Lyle said once the fire was out the semi-submerged hull, with petrol still on board, posed an environmental and navigational hazard.

The council's pilot vessel winched it from the water and brought it to shore where remaining fuel was removed. The burnt-out hull is now at the council's offices in Opua.

Mr Lyle was attempting to contact the owners to see if the boat was insured and whether an assessor wanted to inspect it. It had been "quite a nice vessel", but next to nothing remained.

Coincidentally, the Fire Service, regional council and other parties are due to meet this week to discuss dealing with boat fires.

The meeting was called after a fire on board a yacht about 400m upriver from Opua on September 2 which left a man with burns on his legs and stomach.

In that case, a car ferry was used to take a Paihia fire truck out to the burning boat after portable pumps weren't enough.

It was also a dramatic weekend for Paihia firefighters who were called to two suspicious car fires.

In the first, about 5pm on Saturday, a speeding vehicle dropped off a hitch-hiker before continuing to flee police at up to 150km/h. The chase ended on Paihia Rd, near the Whangae Rd transfer station, when the vehicle caught fire and crashed into scrub. About 10sq/m of vegetation was burned. The driver fled on foot but was caught when he emerged from dense bush at a nearby property.

Just after 5am on Sunday, the brigade was called to Tau Henare Drive, between the Treaty Grounds and the golf course, when a stolen car crashed and was set alight. That offender has also been caught.