Fire on derelict vessel in Mission, B.C., leads to shelter-in-place order

A shelter-in-place order has been lifted for residents of Mission, B.C., who were told to temporarily stay inside Saturday following an overnight fire on a derelict vessel.

The City of Mission issued an emergency alert just before 4 a.m. PT Saturday warning of a fire on the abandoned Queen of Sidney ferry, which was moored just northwest of Matsqui Island, approximately 55 kilometres east of Vancouver.

B.C. Ferries says the ship was in operation from 1960 to 2000. The 102-metre vessel was sold in 2002, and has been moored near Mission, in the Fraser Valley, since then.

On its website, the City of Mission said the cause of the fire is not yet known. A spokesperson for the B.C. Environment Ministry said the vessel was approximately 15 to 20 metres away from the shore, and the fire was contained to the vessel.

In an update on Saturday morning, Mission Mayor Paul Horn said the fire started just before 2 a.m. PT on Saturday.

"The ferry, we were informed, contained a variety of vehicles, forklifts and other scrap materials," Horn told reporters around 10:30 a.m. PT.

"When Mission Fire Rescue arrived, they chose not to put water on the fire and instead to monitor the situation, recognizing that water would likely not effectively control the fire."

The mayor said the vessel would continue to smoulder through Saturday, after the fire burned off, and that officials had not observed any signs of pollution downstream due to the blaze.

A CBC News reporter went to the site around noon, and noted a noticeable stench in the air as smoke continued to spew in the area.

Residents near the fire — from Chester Street to 287 Street, including the Silverdale area — had been told to stay indoors, close all windows and doors, and turn off any ventilation systems that draw in air from outside.

"Police attended the area and confirmed a large plume of smoke coming from the vessel, which had an obvious impact on air quality in the area," Mission RCMP said in a statement Saturday morning.

They said that, as of Saturday morning, there was nothing to indicate the fire was intentionally set — but investigators hadn't been able to board the vessel due to the hazardous nature of the smoke.

At the news conference, Mission officials said they knew the family who owned the vessel, but declined to share their name publicly and said they would communicate with them.

Mayor lobbies for vessel's removal

Horn said the vessel would be handed over to the Canadian Coast Guard for cleanup once the fire was fully extinguished, as it is moored in federal waters.

A spokesperson for the coast guard said an on-water assessment, and one conducted via plane, determined there was no pollution observed on the water — but said it's prepared to act quickly if the situation changes.

The Queen of Sidney is among a number of derelict vessels along B.C. waterways that have raised environmental concerns in recent years, particularly given they could pose public safety risks.

In late March, the iconic McBarge vessel — a barge that housed a McDonald's restaurant during Expo 86 — sank on the Fraser River near Maple Ridge, B.C., northwest of where the Queen of Sidney was moored.

Horn expressed frustration at the news conference, saying that other municipalities along the Fraser River have alerted federal officials to the issue of derelict boats along waterways for years.

The mayor said he even sent a letter to them in December 2023, after which he was assured that inspectors were sent out to ensure the vessel was moored correctly. 

"We have been particularly concerned about this one," he said. "In December 2023, the letter that we wrote ... expressed our concern that we were simply waiting for the inevitable to occur. And that's exactly what this feels like today."

Horn said he would continue to lobby for the Queen of Sidney's removal.