3 fishermen plucked from Cabot Strait describe harrowing escape from burning boat

Three people are safe after being plucked from the waters of the Cabot Strait Monday night by a Newfoundland-bound ferry after their fishing vessel caught fire.

The captain, Blaine Hamilton,and two crew, Christian Phillips and Levi Poulette, had set out from Cape Breton midday on Mondayon the Sulia'nto fish red fish.

The 14-metre boat,which is owned byWe'koqma'qFirst Nation, was about 90 kilometres northeast of Sydney, N.S., when the crew discovered a fire in the ceiling of the washroom, apparently caused by the boat's exhaust.

They thought they had it outbut then noticed smoke coming out of the electrical panel.

"It come quick. Everything just went ablaze right fast, and I knew we had to get off," said Hamilton, speaking at a news conference in North Sydney Tuesday.

The fishermen said they put the life-raft in the water, but it got tangled at the front of the boat and engulfed in smoke, so they put on their immersion suits and got in the water.

The Marine Atlantic ferry Leif Ericson, which was south of the burning vessel en route to Port aux Basque, and another vessel, the San Alessio, responded to the mayday from the Sulia'n.

"We could see it on the horizon," said Marine Atlantic Capt. Scott Dowding.

The three men were in the water for more than an hourand getting cold. "I was shivering. I had water in my immersion suit," said Phillips. "We held each other. We kept each other afloat."

Phillips said he was thinking of his kids. He was also thinking, "Hopefully that shark don't get us," referring to the great white shark named Hilton that was tracked off Cape Breton last week.

The Canadian Coast Guard ship Spindrift as well as a Canadian Forces Cormorant helicopter and Hercules aircraft were also dispatched to the scene.

"They were lighting their illumination flares to make it easier for us to see on the surface of the water," said Dowding.

From the time the Leif Ericson lowered its rescue craft, the rescue operation took about 35 minutes.

Dowding said the ferry crew does regular drills to prepare for rescue situations.

"The training paid off. And it was a good feeling overall as a captain on board to see my crew perform in an excellent manner the way they did, and to save three people."

The men were taken to Port aux Basques, where Phillips, a diabetic, was taken to hospital to replace the medication he lost on the boat.

The three men returned to Cape Breton on the ferry that rescued them Tuesday afternoon.

The Transportation Safety Board will investigate the incident.

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