A small fire broke out in the engine room of a Victoria Clipper vessel early Friday evening, forcing the ship to dock at a marina about 12 kilometres out of Seattle.
The Victoria Clipper 3 does a daily round-trip from Seattle to the San Juan Islands and was on its return journey when the fire broke out.
“The crew detected a possible fire and some smoke and went down to the engine room and found there was a fire in the insulation around a turbine,” said Janis Smith, the company’s vice-president of sales and marketing.
A chemical fire-extinguisher system put out the fire and the area was closed off, Smith said.
“They notified the fire department and coast guard and went into the next port,” she said.
Kyle Moore, Seattle Fire Department spokesman, said the crew were initially unsure whether the chemical suppressant had extinguished the fire, which is why the fire department was called.
The ship, which will be out of service for at least one day, has two engines and two generators, and there was never any risk to the 159 passengers and six crew members, Smith said.
The company sent buses to pick up the passengers and return them to Seattle, she said.
