Boat fire under investigation
Vessel belonged to member of Sipekne’katik First Nation
COMEAUVILLE — An early morning boat fire at a wharf in Digby County is under investigation and being treated as suspicious although the exact cause is not yet known.
According to the RCMP, a 911 call was placed at 5:56 a.m. on Monday by an employee who works in the area of the Comeauville wharf reporting a vessel on fire.
Sgt. Andrew Joyce said there was extensive damage to the 42-foot boat and in fact, the vessel was destroyed. He said the fishing boat had been moored at the location for approximately six weeks awaiting mechanical repair.
There were no injuries associated with the incident.
Asked if there are security cameras at the wharf, Joyce said, “I wouldn't be at liberty to openly state another's security.”
The vessel belonged to Robert Syliboy, a member of the Sipekne'katik First Nation, who posted photographs of the destroyed vessel on Facebook shortly after 7 a.m. Monday, saying, “Worst news to wake up to.” The post was widely shared on Facebook.
He also included another post on social media, that was also being shared, saying, “My dad always taught me, it's not about how many times you get knocked down, it's about how fast you get back up ... I'm not going anywhere. I'll stand tall for my nation. This is part of the uphill battle. Thanks for everyone messaging and supporting me. I appreciate every bit of it.”
Syliboy arrived at the Comeauville wharf around 2:15 p.m. on Monday but declined an interview, saying he had a lot of things to look after given the situation and he really didn't have any answers or knowledge about what had happened to his boat. He did say he hadn't been using this vessel lately as it was to undergo repairs. He said it was a boat he used during the commercial fishing season.
The Little Brook Volunteer Fire Department was paged to the fire a few minutes before 6 a.m.
“It wasn't fully engulfed, but there was a lot of flame,” said Chief Michel LeBlanc about the situation when firefighters arrived on the scene.
He said there was little that could be done to save the vessel.
It was low tide when firefighters arrived and the area surrounding the vessel was accessible by foot. The vessel was moored on the end of the wharf, very close to shore.
Firefighters came back to the scene shortly before noon to again douse the charred vessel with water.
“We'd been keeping an eye on it, everything was fine, but somebody passing by saw some smoke and they paged us again,” LeBlanc said.
There was some fire damage to wooden pilings affixed to the side of the concrete wharf, but no apparent concern over damage to the structure itself.
Around 1 p.m. Canadian Coast Guard workers arrived on the scene to inspect and assess the situation. By this time the tide was coming in and was starting to submerge the vessel. The workers were on site to address any environmental issues that may exist due to the presence of the charred vessel in the water, including any issue with fuel, oil or contaminants.
The Comeauville wharf is located not far from the Saulnierville wharf where the
Sipekne'katik First Nation has been carrying out its own selfmanaged moderate livelihood fishery. It was quiet at that wharf on Monday morning with few people around. Access to the wharf is no longer restricted by the band, as it had been in mid-September. Tensions last month have been replaced by relative calm over the past week or so. On Sept. 29, the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi'Kmaw Chiefs downgraded a state of emergency it had imposed earlier in the month.
Last Thursday, a Treaty Day celebration attended by a large number of people took place at the Saulnierville wharf in support of Indigenous treaties and the fishery.
On Monday morning, talks were continuing between Sipekne'katik First Nation and the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans pertaining to the issue of the moderate livelihood fishery.
Last Friday, hundreds of fishermen and family members associated with the commercial lobster industry held a peaceful protest in Yarmouth, near the DFO detachment, seeking to have their concerns over outof-season commercial fishing heard.