Fire on narrow boat Lindy Lou with 1 person injured and loss of 1 life
Location: Berthed at Lyme View Marina, Adlington, England.
Accident Investigation Report 23/2007
Read our marine accident investigation report, which includes what happened, actions taken and subsequent recommendations:
(2,411.25 kb)
Summary
At about 0245 on 20 January 2007, a fire broke out on board the narrowboat Lindy Lou which was moored at Lyme View Marina, Adlington. One person died as a result of the inferno, which quickly swept through the boat. The other occupant, the owner of the boat, suffered from serious burns and effects of smoke inhalation.
Safety Issues
- the solid fuel stove, which had not been installed in accordance with the stove manufacturer’s recommendations, as the hearth dimensions, and the air gaps around the stove were less than recommended
- evidence was also found of possible long-term charring of the wooden hearth structure beneath the tiles, and this structure might have also ignited to cause the fire
- no smoke alarms were fitted on Lindy Lou. The Recreational Craft Directive (RCD) EN ISO 9094, and the Boat Safety Scheme (BSS) do not currently require these to be fitted to recreational craft
Recommendations
A recommendation has been made to the British Standards Institution to propose a change to the current ISO standards so that smoke alarms are required to be fitted on habitable small craft.
This report was published on 3 October 2007.