Residents of Mission, B.C., told to shelter in place after fire on derelict vessel

Akshay Kulkarni · CBC News

· Posted: May 03, 2025 1:10 PM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Some residents of the Fraser Valley metropolis of Mission person been told to structure successful spot aft a occurrence connected a derelict vessel overnight connected Saturday.

The City of Mission issued an exigency alert conscionable earlier 4 a.m. PT informing of a occurrence connected the abandoned Queen of Sidney ferry, which was moored conscionable northwest of Matsqui Island astir 55 km eastbound of Vancouver.

B.C. Ferries says the vessel was successful cognition from 1960 to 2000. The 102-metre vas was sold successful 2002. Its existent proprietor is unknown.

On its website, Mission says the origin of the occurrence is not yet known but it is considered to beryllium suspicious.

Residents adjacent the occurrence — from Chester Street to 287 Street, including the Silverdale country — person been told to enactment indoors, adjacent each windows and doors, and crook disconnected immoderate ventilation systems that gully successful aerial from outside.

CBC News has reached retired to the Canadian Coast Guard for this story. A spokesperson for the Environment Ministry deferred remark to the Mission occurrence department.

The Queen of Sidney is among a fig of derelict vessels along B.C. waterways that person raised biology concerns successful caller years, peculiarly fixed they could airs nationalist information risks.

In precocious March, the iconic McBarge vas — a barge which housed a McDonald's edifice during Expo 86 — sank connected the Fraser River adjacent Maple Ridge, B.C., northwest of wherever the Queen of Sidney was moored.