Chiswick RNLI evacuate people from smouldering boat in multi-agency operation
The volunteer crew were hailed by the people on board a small motor cruiser. They were desperate for help after discovering a fire on board. There was smoke coming from the stern of the vessel and so it was essential that the three people on board were taken off while it was still safe to do so.
The crew had spent several hours conducting an exhausting search in heavy rain on Saturday morning 6 October 2018. After being stood down they came across the cruiser as they passed Battersea heliport. When they approached, the crew could see smoke coming from the stern of the vessel.
The RNLI crew quickly assessed whether it was safe to approach; at that point there were no signs of a rapidly spreading fire so it was possible to get close to the bow of the vessel. The three people on board were immediately evacuated into the lifeboat before the source of smoke in the stern of the vessel developed further.
After the three were safely on board the lifeboat the crew’s concern turned to the risk the smouldering vessel posed to others. It was in the middle of the navigation channel and in danger of drifting towards some nearby houseboats. They set up a tow with a long line and called for assistance from the Marine Police and the London Fire Brigade’s Fire Dart.
The three boaters were getting wet and cold in the open RNLI E Class lifeboat, so when the police boat arrived they were transferred to its closed wheelhouse.
Firefighters on Fire Dart arrived soon after and boarded the damaged vessel to make it safe.
The three boaters were uninjured and were able to return home by public transport. Their vessel was moored up for later assessment of the damage.
Chiswick RNLI helmsman Tony Coe said: ‘It was clear that the people on the smoking vessel should be taken off immediately. We could see it was still safe to approach close to the bow and take the people off before the fire might spread. We also were able to attach a tow line to the bow to ensure there were no consequences for other river users. Teamwork with the other marine emergency services ensured that there was a good outcome from a potentially serious incident.’
Chiswick RNLI lifeboat station is the second busiest in the UK and Ireland. Since The RNLI search and rescue service on the Thames started in 2002, Chiswick Lifeboat has attended one 3,200 incidents and rescued over 1,620 people. The RNLI is entirely funded by public donations.
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The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
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