Man suffers burns in boat fire at Brighton Marina

Two men were hurt after an electrical fault led to a fire as they refuelled their boat at Brighton Marina.

One of the men needed hospital treatment for burns to his legs while the other suffered cuts and bruises to his legs.

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said that the men had a lucky escape thanks to their on-board fire alarm system.

The crew called 999 after the fire started at the refuelling jetty shortly before 2pm on Sunday (9 September). Fire engines were sent from Hove, Brighton and Newhaven.

Firefighters arrived to find that the blaze was out and gave first aid to the two men before paramedics arrived.

They found one man on the decking where he had fallen trying to get off the boat and had suffered burns to his legs.

They treated him and his crew mate at the scene before the burns victim was taken to hospital.

Watch Commander Richard Chamberlain said: “The crew were quite calm and although we did not have to do any firefighting we disconnected the boat’s battery to ensure there was no electrical power on the boat.

“As it was moored at the refuelling jetty it could potentially have been very dangerous.

“As we were concerned, we wanted to make the area safe and get everyone off the boat as there was a strong smell of petrol fumes.”

Fire crews spent about an hour at the scene.

The fire and rescue service urged other boat users to ensure that their on-board monitors were working.

A spokesman said: “Boats need to be maintained like cars and we would urge people to service on-board systems to make sure they are in good working order.

“If this vessel had not been maintained properly, the boat could have been lost in the fire.

“We would also like to praise the marina staff for making sure that all the barriers were open and marshalling us to the correct point.

“There were people at the entrance to make sure that we were directed to the scene as quickly as possible.

“It’s a bit of a maze down there and this was a great help.”