Police probing boat blaze
A FIRE which gutted a small boat parked outside a Cairns home is being treated as suspicious by police.
Emergency service crews were called to a site on Mulgrave Road at Earlville about 2.30am on Friday after members of the public called to report seeing the boat engulfed in flames.
Fire crews spent almost an hour dousing the fire which left the 5m fibreglass vessel with significant internal damage.
It is understood police are investigating whether an object may have been thrown into the vessel to spark the fire.
The site was declared a crime scene with police and fire officers undertaking investigations throughout Friday.
Cairns police Acting Sergeant Dan McEntee said there were no suspects, but the fire was being considered suspicious. He said it was hoped members of the public might help find the culprit.
“We’re just looking for witnesses, anyone who may have been driving past who has dashcam about 2.30am to come forward,” he said.
“A crime scene was declared and it will likely be in place between 24-48 hours.”
Act Sgt McEntee said the boat and trailer were parked some distance from nearby homes so there was no other damage to property and no reports of injuries.
He said it was unknown if the boat’s owner was home at the time because it was a passerby who initially reported the fire.
A Queensland Fire and Emergency Services spokeswoman said crews were able to extinguish the fire quickly and left the scene about 3.30am.