OPP investigates suspicious fire at boat storage facility

The Ontario Provincial Police says a fire at a boat storage site near Simcoe, Ont. has caused more than a million dollars in damages.

Crews were called to Team Marine around 3:30 p.m. Sunday.

Police say one of the boats caught fire and the blaze spread to five other boats.

It took crews several hours to battle the blaze. Norfolk Deputy Fire Chief Gord Stilwell says these types of fires are hard to put out.

The boats generally have several compartments and one vessel had over 500 liters of fuel in it.

Crews had to be called in from Vittoria, Simcoe and Port Dover to help contain the fire.

OPP officer Ed Sanchuk says that even though only six of the boats were ablaze, others may have sustained smoke damage.

“Owners are being notified and I can tell you that these boats are their pride and joy. There’s going to be a lot of upset people especially before Christmas time,” says Sanchuk.

He says police are treating the fire as suspicious.

The Ontario Fire Marshall’s office has been called to investigate.