Lack of firefighting skills cited in sinking of Nova Scotia trawler that caught fire

The Transportation Safety Board says the 2021 sinking of a large fishing vessel that caught fire off the south coast of Nova Scotia raises concerns about insufficient crew knowledge about firefighting gear. The independent agency released an investigation report today about the demise of the FV Atlantic Destiny, which had 31 crew members aboard when it was rocked by a catastrophic engine failure that sparked an explosion and fire on March 2, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-TSB

The Transportation Safety Board says the 2021 sinking of a large fishing vessel that caught fire off the south coast of Nova Scotia raises broad concerns about the lack of firefighting knowledge among the crew.

The independent agency released an investigation report today about the demise of the FV Atlantic Destiny, which had 31 crew members aboard when it was rocked by a catastrophic engine failure that sparked an explosion and fire on March 2, 2021.

No one was injured by the blast and every crew member was safely evacuated from the 43-metre scallop trawler during a harrowing rescue operation in heaving seas about 200 kilometres south of Yarmouth.

The board found that the crew correctly used the vessel’s carbon dioxide fire suppression system to subdue the flames inside the sealed engine room.

But investigators determined crew members re-entered the room before the fire was extinguished, allowing in oxygen that reignited the blaze.

The board found that crew members were unaware they needed to wait for the space to cool before re-entering, adding that other fires in Canada and worldwide have been reignited in the same way.