‘Very scary’: Boat catches fire in Hilton Beach over weekend

Residents in Hilton Beach witnessed an alarming scene over the holiday weekend when a boat went up in flames near the shoreline.

Thick plumes of smoke and tall flames could be seen coming from a twin-engine high-performance speed boat just hours before the village was to celebrate its annual community night on Saturday.

Hilton Beach deputy fire chief Robert Hope says the incident happened around 5 p.m.

“It was very frightening,” he says. “It was fully engulfed for a while. Every boater’s worst nightmare — very scary.”

Hope told SooToday the owners had to abandon their boat after it caught fire. As it burned, the boat eventually drifted to shore and ran aground about 1.5 km west of the village.

“That’s when the fire department got to it,” he says. “The firefighters fought the fire from shore. A couple of the firefighters went into the water to get closer. I actually had one of them on my private boat.”

Fire crews had the flames completely doused in about 15 to 20 minutes, according to the deputy fire chief.

There were no injuries, and the cause of the fire is currently undetermined.

The incident occurred shortly before Hilton Beach celebrated its 100th anniversary at the annual community night.

The village managed to carry on with a successful night of festivities on Saturday, which included a parade and fireworks.