Firefighters battle sailboat blaze in Arendal harbour

A sailboat caught fire in the guest harbour in Arendal on Wednesday afternoon during Arendalsuka, NRK reported. The boat was moved away from other vessels because of the risk of the fire spreading.

The harbour was filled with smoke as rescue services worked to extinguish the fire. The cause was not yet known.

Petter Vinje Svendsen, incident commander for Østre Agder Fire and Rescue Service, said firefighters arrived two minutes after receiving the report and encountered heavy smoke.

“The guest harbour is packed during Arendalsuka. Other boat owners had started moving the boat, and the police boat pulled it away from the harbour. Because the harbour is filled with other boats, it was critical to remove it quickly. There was a serious risk of the fire spreading,” he told NRK.

Svendsen credited the rapid response from harbour staff, boat guests and the police boat with preventing the situation from worsening.

One person was aboard the boat when the fire started. The person inhaled smoke and was treated by health personnel. People who helped also suffered minor smoke injuries.

The fire broke out while Marie Sneve Martinussen was speaking at a closed event on the quay. She told NRK that she noticed the flames during her speech, outside the mingling area.

“After that, it was difficult to keep the audience’s attention,” Martinussen said.

An employee of Arendal municipality told NRK that she took off her shoes and ran to the boat to help extinguish the fire with a fire extinguisher.

Fire crews continued working to put out the remaining flames.