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Fire breaks out on ship docked at Welland Canal

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There was a flurry of activity at the Welland Canal yesterday morning as crews worked to contain a fire that broke out on a docked carrier ship.

The fire started just after 9 a.m. in an engine room on the Algoma Discovery, which has been docked on the east side of the canal in Port Colborne since January.

Port Colborne firefighters report seeing heavy smoke and a small fire in the engine room when they got on board.

The fire reportedly broke out during routine winter maintenance.

Crews activated the ship’s fire suppression system for the engine room, flooding the space with carbon monoxide to starve the fire of oxygen.

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Wainfleet Fire and Emergency Services were called to assist as ship fires can physically drain firefighters. They become exhausted trying to maneuver themselves and their necessary equipment through narrow stairways to get to lower levels.

Crews additionally used water from the canal to put out the fire. Once the smoke was ventilated, the ship’s crew was allowed back on board.

Records show that the same ship had a small fire onboard during its 2012 winter layup in Hamilton.

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