Workers on a Crab vessel
A fire that destroyed a crab vessel off Newfoundland’s northeast coast Wednesday night raced through the long liner in minutes, the skipper of the rescuing vessel says. Five crab fishermen were rescued from the Northern Provider late Wednesday after it caught fire about 20 nautical miles, or 36 kilometers, east of the Grey Islands. Search-and-rescue officials were planning to assign a Cormorant helicopter to rescue the crew, but a vessel, the Bonnie Lee Ann, was already near the burning long liner. Glenn Andrews, skipper of the Bonnie Lee Ann, said his vessel was minutes away when they heard the distress call. “When we started going toward them, we saw smoke coming out of the boat … There was nothing but smoke there first, a lot of smoke. We could hardly see them,” Andrews told CBC News on Thursday. “The flames were just beating out of the wheelhouse there,” said Andrews, who said the fire moved quickly throughout the long liner. “I was really surprised with the speed that the boat went. It was really frightening.” Andrews said the crew members had to race to put on their life suits in time. Four of them got in a lifeboat while the skipper, Keith Pittman, stayed on board the Northern Provider. When those four were safely aboard the Bonnie Lee Ann, Andrews said, the lifeboat was put back in the water for Pittman to use. Andrews said the Northern Provider was still burning when they left the scene. They docked in Englee at about 4 a.m. Thursday.