Second barge fire sparks an investigation in Surrey
Several agencies are keeping a close eye on the investigation into a fire aboard a barge loaded with scrap cars and old appliances Tuesday that sent billowing plumes of smoke over Surrey.
Questions are being raised about what caused the blaze, the second in the same location in six weeks. As the barge burned on the banks of the Fraser River, social media lit up with comments from witnesses of both fires with some speculating on possible causes.
“The cause of the fire is unknown at this time,” said Tony Belot, spokesman for Schnitzer Steel, which leases the barge from the Port of Vancouver. “We are co-operating and working with all applicable agencies, including the environmental agencies.”
The barge contained crushed cars drained of fluids and processed for “end of life” and assorted light iron such as washers and dryers.
Belot said safety at its Surrey facility, including fire prevention and emergency response, is a top priority. There were no injuries from the fire.
“Schnitzer is reviewing (Tuesday’s) events in an effort to determine the cause of the blaze and will make any necessary adjustments to policies or procedures to reduce risk in the future as needed,” he said.
This is the company ’s third fire in recent years on B.C.’s urban south coast.
In August, a massive fire broke out on the same barge, also loaded with scrap cars, resulting in acrid black smoke that prompted Metro Vancouver to issue an air-quality warning.
The cause of that fire was deemed “inconclusive” after a Schnitzer Steel Canada probe, Belot said on Wednesday. It remains a mystery.
In 2017, a Seaspan barge operated by Schnitzer loaded with scrap cars caught fire in a Victoria waterway. In 2015, another scrapmetal barge in the same waterway tipped, sending vehicles and metal scraps into the water.
In a statement, Tom Corsie, vicepresident of real estate at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, said it’s the port’s federally mandated obligation to provide a high level of marine safety and environmental protection at the Port of Vancouver.
“We are very concerned about the recent barge fires in Surrey,” he said. “We are working with our tenant, Schnitzer Steel, and first responders to understand the cause of this latest fire and how incidents like this will be prevented in the future.”
Transport Canada spokeswoman Annie Joannette said the federal agency was “actively monitoring ” the situation, noting all Canadian barges must meet the requirements of regulations under the Canada Shipping Act, 2001.
The agency is “following up with the company to verify compliance with the (act) and applicable regulations,” said Joannette.
B.C.’s environment ministry said tests are ongoing.
Results of an air-monitoring test have been sent to Fraser Health for analysis and Schnitzer has hired a consultant to conduct water-sampling tests, said spokesman David Karn.