Nightmare in Agios Nikolaos marina, Crete

Tony Cross

Tony Cross

Well-Known Member
Joined
14 Jan 2013
Messages
7,993
Location
Agios Nikolaos, Crete
Visit site
A 65ft motor cruiser burst into flames in the marina here last night. Fortunately the south wind (blowing the flames onto the pontoons) was light but we were all worried for a time as the stern lines burned through and the blazing hulk swung in the wind. Great job by the fire service here to kill the fire and prevent it spreading. Disaster averted. Not much left of the inside of the boat though.....
 
Presumably a real worry from gas bottles potentially exploding - did they do you know? Presumably not safe to be anywhere near it if they did explode.
 
Robih said:
Presumably a real worry from gas bottles potentially exploding - did they do you know? Presumably not safe to be anywhere near it if they did explode.
Click to expand...

Fortunately this guy (a local Greek) had both bottles connected and when the rubber hoses melted the gas burned off in the flames, we could see the two strong jets occasionally. It was the same with his two diesel tanks, the plastic hose connecting the two tanks melted and allowed the fuel to drain into the marina. A nasty clean-up mess but better in there than in the tanks!

The sailors were mostly on their boats wetting them down, aware of the risk of explosion but protecting our boats as best as we could in case it did go up. The locals (mostly youngsters) were on the ends of the pontoons (despite them being off-limits) filming the fire.

Nobody was hurt and that's the main thing.
 
Robih said:
Presumably a real worry from gas bottles potentially exploding - did they do you know? Presumably not safe to be anywhere near it if they did explode.
Click to expand...

When the yacht C'est la Vie burnt to the waterline in Leros last year we expected explosions from the gas bottles. In fact we didn't notice anything other than the general fierce burning of the whole boat. Do bottles still have a lead plug that melts to prevent explosions?
 
an interesting and different approach to the boat fire in Greece. The OP says the FB 'killed' the fire, and it seems that the hull was still afloat at the end of the fire.

Yet, in the fire in the Cowes marina, the (similarly sized) vessel was allowed to burn through and sink.


Any suggestions as to which might be 'better' or even the result of H&S risk analysis preventing the UK FB from going too near ?
 
tri39 said:
Any idea of the cause Tony? Galley or electrical? Was the boat occupied at the time?
Click to expand...

We've not heard that they're even going to look for a cause. I think electrical is probably most likely. This is a well-known boat here, she spends all summer in the main port and rarely goes anywhere. She is not exactly well maintained. She had come into the marina only a few days earlier ready to be hauled out for the winter.

rivonia said:
Glad to hear that you are OK Tony. Must have been a really BIG worry all round. Any of the other boats damaged?
Click to expand...

Indeed it was. You'll know how lucky we were to have a light south wind here, usually southerlies howl through the marina. For around 30 mins those of us on pontoons B and C were seriously worried. The only other damage is a small hole in the bimini of a boat on pontoon C where a burning ember landed. The rest of us were keeping all exposed areas of our boats as wet as we could.

sarabande said:
an interesting and different approach to the boat fire in Greece. The OP says the FB 'killed' the fire, and it seems that the hull was still afloat at the end of the fire.

Yet, in the fire in the Cowes marina, the (similarly sized) vessel was allowed to burn through and sink.


Any suggestions as to which might be 'better' or even the result of H&S risk analysis preventing the UK FB from going too near ?
Click to expand...

I think it's more to do with the construction. This boat was marine ply on a wooden frame, had she been a GRP boat I think she'd have gone much more quickly. H&S doesn't really exist in Greece, and certainly not in the nanny state way it does in the UK. In any case the south wind was blowing the flames, sparks, and the hull itself when the stern line parted, towards the two most crowded pontoons in the marina. It was crucial that the fire brigade kill the fire or I think we'd have probably lost all the boats on both those pontoons. One of them was mine!

That said, the coastguard were most concerned about water pollution, especially to the beaches outside the marina. When smoke was first seen coming from the boat our first though was to tow the boat out of the marina. The coastguard have since made it clear that will never be permitted, they want all boat fires contained within the marina to prevent pollution escaping onto the beaches. It's understandable, tourism is a crucial industry here.
 
macd said:
No, definitely not. A baseless slur.
But I could be wrong.

T Cross, #10: "This is a well-known boat here, she spends all summer in the main port"
Click to expand...


52mdzb.jpg
 
Tony Cross said:
"Cashing in" might be the right words. The locals have warned us not to ask too many questions about how she came to catch fire......
Click to expand...

Jewish Stocktake surely not? :rolleyes:


Jewish Stocktake MEANING: Insurance scam (for example) To burn your own building/business down (destroy the business) in order to recover the losses
 
Surely you don't mean "Sorry to hear about the fire in your warehouse" ..... "Shhh! it's not till next week"
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top