Boat Shed Fire, Linley Point
Published: 29th March 2006
Shortly before 5.30am on 29 March 2006, the NSW Fire Brigades received numerous triple zero calls reporting a boat shed fire on the Lane Cove River at Linley Point.
First crews to arrive were confronted by a large metal-clad building engulfed in fire. Urgent assistance was requested and ultimately 25 firefighters from five brigades were committed to fighting the fire.
Because the boat shed was on a pier, there were access problems for land-based firefighters so a Sydney Ports Corporation firefighting vessel was called. A firefighting team responded on board the vessel to fight the fire from the bay.
Due to the advanced nature of the fire, the fire crews’ objective was to contain the fire to the boat shed and prevent it from spreading to several vessels moored nearby. Firefighters were also concerned about fuel entering the water and asked for the NSW Fire Brigades Hazardous Materials (Hazmat) Unit to attend to monitor water quality and help contain fire run-off.
It took fire crews about 90 minutes to fully contain the fire and they remained well into the morning mopping up. The fire destroyed the boat shed and its contents. A vessel moored nearby was severely damaged. Hazmat officers were confident that no fuel had entered the water. There were no injuries.
Sydney Ports Corporation crews contained the fire debris around the pier with booms and removed the debris.
The cause of the fire is being investigated by the NSW Fire Brigades’ Fire Investigation Unit and the Police.