Pleasure boat docks with a smoking engine (4 photos)

A 33-foot Four Winn Regal pleasure boat carrying multiple persons on the St. Marys River started smoking and was driven to shore this afternoon, said Sault Ste. Marie Fire Service Platoon Chief Stan Martynuck.

Firefighters received a 911 call at around 4 p.m. to attend the Bellevue Marina.

When firefighters arrived on scene, the boat had already been docked.

Once docked, the operator of the boat had used one of the marina’s dock-side dry chemical extinguishers but there was still light smoke, said Martynuck.

Firefighters wearing masks boarded the boat and a hose was drawn.

There were no flames and firefighters cleared the cabin of the boat using electric smoke ejectors, said Martynuck.

Firefighters then scanned the engine area and walls using thermal imaging cameras but nothing out of the ordinary was found, he said.

“I don’t think it was a fire, I think it was an overheat (but) we’re not sure… We saw no indication that anything burnt,” said Martynuck.

The boat owner was instructed to take the boat out of the water and it will be re-examined early this evening.

The exact number of people on board is currently unknown, or whether the operator called 911 while the boat was on the river or docked.

There were no injuries reported and the incident was contained to the boat, said Martynuck.