‘Devastated’ dad’s dreams up in smoke as boat burns
VESSEL THAT HAD BEEN PURCHASED ONLY THREE WEEKS AGO WAS NOT INSURED FOR FIRE
A FAMILY from Clifton have been left heartbroken and thousands of pounds out of pocket after their boat was destroyed in a fire.
Jay Clark, 44, bought the boat for his family three weeks ago from Lincoln and was in the process of renovating it so they could use it for trips around the UK when the fire broke out.
The fire service says the blaze was caused by overheating but Jay is adamant that everything was switched off when he left it, and believes it could have been started deliberately.
The single dad bought the boat for £16,000 and spent thousands more to fix it up and make it homely for him and his three kids.
Jay said: “I’ve used all my savings for this and now I have nothing. The boat cost me £16,000, and then all the extras on top. “I’m absolutely devastated.”
The former HGV driver and his son collected the boat from Lincoln earlier this month, and over three days they drove it back to their home at Holme Pierrepont.
After two weeks there, they decided on Saturday, April 20 to take the boat to Sawley, where it would be moored. However, Jay who has recently undergone spinal surgery, said taking the boat through Nottingham “really took its toll” on him and it was harder than expected to get through the locks.
He was in a lot of pain, and so on Sunday, April 21, he decided to leave it at Beeston for a few days until the pain subsided and he was able to carry on the trip.
Jay’s daughter, Chelsey Clark, 17, explained: “It’s a tragedy. They left it on Sunday morning with all of their stuff in, then my little brother came back on Tuesday morning to get something for school and found it burnt and half in the water.”
She added: “It’s always been my dad’s dream to buy a boat and we were planning to go away in it. We were going to go up and around the UK in it.”
Due to the age of the boat, the family only had third-party insurance for it, but this policy does not cover against fire or theft.
Chelsey said they had been storing some of their belongings in the boat, and it feels as if “part of their home” has been destroyed.
Because of the extent of the fire, it appears the boat has been damaged beyond the point of repair.
A spokesperson at Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “Fire crews from Highfields Fire Station attended a fire involving a boat on the canal just before 10pm on Monday, 22 April.
“The fire was fully developed
upon the arrival of Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service. Crews used hose reels and breathing apparatus to extinguish the fire. The boat was sadly damaged by fire. Following advice from the Environment Agency, the fuel was left to burn whilst being monitored and contained by us.
“The cause of this fire has been deemed as ‘overheating,’ however there was petrol on the boat which accelerated the fire.”
A Nottinghamshire Police spokesperson said: “Inquiries have been carried out, including checking CCTV footage, after a report of a boat on fire at Canal Side, Beeston, just before 10pm on Monday. “At this time, the cause of the fire is not being treated as suspicious. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Nottinghamshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 805 of 22 April 2024.”
Jay said: “All gas was turned off, the main fuel was turned off, and all the batteries were also switched off. “If this happened the night before then maybe they would take it more seriously as we would have been on the boat that night.” Since the incident, Jay said he has been struggling to sleep and fears what could have happened if he and his children were on the boat when the fire started. He said: “I’ve not even been to the boat, it’s really hit me hard and I just don’t know what to do or what I can do.”
The dad added that he is frustrated that he has not been contacted by investigating officers. The family has launched a fundraiser to try and recover some of the money they have lost at www. gofundme.com.
I’ve used all my savings for this and now I have nothing. The boat cost me £16,000. Jay Clark