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Two men arrested over fire on North Sea ferry Two men arrested after fire on North Sea ferry
(about 3 hours later)
Two men have been arrested after a fire on board a ferry sparked an emergency rescue and forced it to return to Newcastle. Two men have been arrested after a fire on a ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam forced the emergency air evacuation of several crew and passengers.
Two crew members and four passengers had to be winched off the North Sea ferry after they breathed in smoke when the blaze broke out in a cabin room 30 miles from land at around 11pm on Saturday night. Two crew members and four passengers had to be winched off the North Sea ferry by helicopter after they inhaled smoke. The fire broke out in a cabin while the ship was 30 miles from shore at around 10.45pm on Sunday night.
A 26-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of arson and a 28-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of affray, Northumbria police said. A 26-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of arson and a 28-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of affray, Northumbria police said.
Passengers began leaving the ferry on Sunday morning after arriving back at the Tyneside port. The ferry had been sailing to Amsterdam with 946 passengers on board. RAF helicopters from Leconfield, near Hull, and Boulmer, Northumberland, were sent to attend to the ferry and its 946 passengers, along with RNLI lifeboats from Bridlington and Filey. Rescued passengers and staff were flown to Scarborough hospital and are expected to be released after treatment. A further 15 passengers and eight crew members were treated by doctors on the ship.
Gert Jakobsen, a spokesman for the ferry operator DFDS Seaways, said earlier that police were in control of the King Seaways cruise ferry and were speaking to people on board about the incident. The fire was put out within about 15 minutes, but passengers could see thick smoke swirling on deck and were told the ferry would have to return to port in Newcastle.
He added that the ferry would not be continuing its journey and instead would wait until its next scheduled departure to Amsterdam, on Monday morning. Passengers described scenes of confusion and panic as they were called on deck and told to gather around lifeboats. "It was terrifying and I won't be travelling by boat again. I think I will stay in the UK from now on, it's a lot safer," said Julie Bell, from Tyne and Wear. "It was like a scene from a movie, a chaotic mess, horrible."
The passenger suspected of starting the fire was detained on board by ship staff while it sailed back to the port, police said. Karl McMurrough, 18, from Pennywell, Sunderland, said: "We all got rushed on to the deck, there were helicopters, kids squealing, life jackets. They were telling us to keep calm but they weren't giving us any information."
The fire broke out in a passenger cabin at around 10.45pm and was extinguished by 11pm. RAF helicopters from Leconfield, near Hull, and Boulmer, Northumberland, were scrambled to the vessel along with RNLI lifeboats from Bridlington and Filey. Gert Jakobsen, a spokesman for the ferry operator DFDS Seaways, said police were speaking to people on board the King Seaways cruise ferry, and the next ferry would leave as scheduled on Monday morning. He said the company would try to help passengers find alternative crossings.
Jakobsen said he expected the injured crew and passengers flown to Scarborough hospital to be released later on Sunday. A further 15 passengers and eight crew members were treated by doctors for smoke-related injuries on board the ship. "We are very sorry for those passengers who have not only been affected by the fire but now by these delays," he said. "We are looking at how we can help them. The cabin that was burnt is very damaged and there has been some smoke damage to surrounding cabins, but the ship's function has not been affected in any way and is safe to travel."
He said the company would try to help passengers forced to abandon their trip to Amsterdam find alternative crossings. "We are very sorry for those passengers who have not only been affected by the fire but now by these delays. We are looking at how we can help them," he said. One passenger, Steven Basford, described the ferry – which has room for 1,500 passengers and has several restaurants, bars, a nightclub and a casino – as a "party boat", and said a fight had broken out on deck.
"The cabin that was burned is very damaged and there has been some smoke damage to surrounding cabins but the ship's function has not been affected in any way and is safe to travel." "We were in our room at about 10.40pm last night when they raised the general fire or emergency alarm with seven high-pitched siren noises. We were told to evacuate outside the ship and when we got outside they asked us to converge around the lifeboats," said the 28-year-old.
Steven Basford, a passenger, said he was kept on the ferry while police went door to door to speak to those on board. "The fire was on our floor but on the other side of the ship. When we climbed up to the communal area we could see the smoke. It wasn't thick but it was definitely noticeable. People were generally pretty calm. Obviously people had had a lot to drink. It's a bit of a party boat. Two big blokes started brawling."
The 28-year-old, from Northumberland, who was travelling to Amsterdam with his partner, Vic Liang, to celebrate new year with friends, said a fight had broken out between two male passengers during the evacuation. Police said they received a call from the coastguard at 12.05am informing them of suspected arson on board the ferry. A spokeswoman said: "Officers from Northumbria police are working with DFDS Seaways and other partners to assist with the situation. Two men have been arrested – a 26-year-old man on suspicion of arson and a 28-year-old man on suspicion of affray. Both men are helping police inquiries."
He said: "We were in our room at about 10.40pm last night when they raised the general fire or emergency alarm with seven high-pitched siren noises. We were told to evacuate outside the ship and when we got outside they asked us to converge around the lifeboats.
"The fire was on our floor but on the other side of the ship. When we climbed up to the communal area we could see the smoke. It wasn't thick but it was definitely noticeable.
"People were generally pretty calm. Obviously people had had a lot to drink. It's a bit of a party boat. Two big blokes started brawling."
Another passenger on board said she was forced to evacuate to the outer deck when the alarm was raised.
"We were all sat upstairs when the alarm went off and the captain came on the tannoy and told us to evacuate to the outer deck because there was a fire," Olivia Elliott told Sky News. "We were out there for about 40 minutes and then we had to wait in the nightclub area."
A police spokeswoman said: "We received a report from the coastguard at around 12.05am of a suspected arson on board a ferry on the North Sea. Officers from Northumbria police are working with DFDS Seaways and other partners to assist with the situation.
"Two men have been arrested – a 26-year-old man on suspicion of arson and a 28-year-old man on suspicion of affray. Both men are helping police inquiries."
According to the DFDS Seaways website, the 26-year-old vessel has room for over 1,500 passengers and 600 cars. It was renovated in 2006. It offers entertainment including restaurants, bars, a nightclub and a casino.
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