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Photo Sally Rose
The Ancora Praia caught fire Friday morning and suffered severe damage. |
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Photo Pru Sowers
Fernando Lomba, the owner of the Ancora Praia, which caught fire Friday, had recently begun fishing again after a three-month lay-off due to government catch restrictions. |
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Dragger catches fire
Banner Daily Update posted Fri. June 29
By Pru Sowers
Banner Staff
PROVINCETOWN – One of the oldest fishing boats in the local fleet caught fire Friday morning and may be damaged beyond repair.
Approximately 40 Provincetown firefighters responded when harbormaster Rex McKinsey saw smoke and called for help just after 8:30 a.m. Two firefighters were treated for smoke inhalation and released. The crew that was on board the Ancora Praia, a 58-foot commercial fishing dragger built in 1963, was uninjured.
Boat owner Fernando Lomba said one of his crew was using an acetylene torch to repair an exhaust flue when a spark flew into the hold. The crew tried to put out the fire but it quickly engulfed the hold and began burning the pilothouse.
“The spark went down into the bilge and started the fire. There was a lot of oil down there and it’s an old boat so it has fiberglass over old, dry wood,” said Provincetown Fire Chief Mike Trovato. “It was going pretty good.”
Lomba said he has owned the Ancora Praia since 1984. He and his two-man crew had recently begun to fish again after being kept in port the last three months because of government catch restrictions. Lomba, who has been a fisherman since 1977, said he didn’t know if the boat could be repaired.
“I hope so. But I don’t know if I have the money,” he said.
Most of the older fishing vessels in Provincetown do not have insurance because insurance companies won’t issue policies on the aging wooden boats. Including the Ancora Praia, Provincetown Harbor is home to eight older wooden fishing vessels.
McKinsey said there was no pollution contamination from the fire, which did not damage the fuel tanks. Non-toxic foam mixed with water was used by firefighters to extinguish the blaze but a containment boom was used to keep the foam close to the pier where it could be removed.
McKinsey said Lomba would have to assess his options on whether he can fix the boat. In the meantime, anytime a fisherman can’t fish, his livelihood is at risk, McKinsey said.
“This is a three-man crew. That’s three families” who lost their income, he said.
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Jun 28th, 2007