WASHINGTON (HRNW) – The Canadian coast guard has evacuated 16 people from a burning container ship that is expelling toxic gas off Canada s Pacific coast, but there is “no safety risk” to those on shore, authorities said Sunday.
The Zim Kingston ship had been bound for Vancouver when the flames erupted, with the fire reported to the coast guard at around 11 pm local time Saturday, CBC News reported.
“The ship is on fire and expelling toxic gas,” the Canadian coast guard said in a navigational warning on its website, adding that the vessel remains anchored off the coast of British Columbia.
Later, a statement on the coast guard s Twitter account said 16 people had been evacuated from the Zim Kingston “after a fire broke out in ten containers.”
“The fire remains a dynamic event and an Incident Command Post has been set up to manage the situation. Responders are mobilizing to both fight the fire and recover the containers that broke away from the ship on Friday,” the statement early Sunday said.
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