Firefighters airlifted to ferry fire off Falmouth (From Boating Cornwall)

Firefighters airlifted to ferry fire off Falmouth

9:14am Wednesday 3rd February 2010

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Firefighters were airlifted by helicopter to a passenger ferry ablaze in the sea three miles of Falmouth last night, with 113 people on board.

Co-ordinated by Falmouth coastguards, helicopters from RNAS Culdrose carried to the firefighters to the burning Oscar Wilde, which had no passengers onboard but a large crew.

Once onboard the ferry, the firefighters went straight to the engine room, where the blaze had been kept contained by the ferry’s crewmembers.

The crew had called for help just after 7.30pm - just hours after the ferry had left Falmouth's dry dock, where it had undergone a refit.

Once the fire was out, the fire crews were taken back to shore by helicopters again.

The ferry will be brought into Falmouth this morning, so that firefighters can inspect it.

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