Rudy Haugeneder
News staff
An 84-year-old man was rescued from his burning concrete-hulled sailboat by another boater just after midnight Thursday.
High winds and rough seas hammered the 42-foot live-aboard vessel, anchored near Oak Bay Marina, and the boat sunk a few hours later.
Teresa Kambites, who watched the vessel burn from her home on Beach Drive, said she’s known the elderly sailor, known to her only as Fritz, for several years. She believes his boat was uninsured and that he lost not only his home, but everything he owned.
While Fritz Schreiner survived the shipboard fire with minimal injury – he was taken to hospital and treated for smoke inhalation – his pet dachsund, Lucy, was not so lucky, Kambites said, and perished in the incident.
Oak Bay firefighters responded to the blaze at 12:25 a.m. Along with Oak Bay Sea Rescue volunteers and an auxiliary Coast Guard vessel, crews unsuccessfully fought the blaze with portable fire extinguishers.
Oak Bay Fire Capt. Ken Gill said weather conditions made it impossible to safely board the boat, which was anchored 100 metres north of the marina’s gas dock.
By 3:25 a.m. the Coast Guard, which has jurisdiction where the boat was anchored, decided it was time to stop fighting the fire and let the vessel burn. It was not close to any other boats and sank at 11:30 a.m.
Schreiner told firefighters he woke up to find his diesel stove on fire.
He had tried to put out the fire before he was rescued.
Kambites is spearheading efforts to collect clothes, food and other items for Schreiner. Several have already done so, including one woman who dropped off rain gear and a sweater that belonged to her recently deceased father, who was an avid boater.
To help out, send Kambites an email at happymom2005@hotmail.com.
Kambites said she expects another boat owner will likely to provide Schreiner with live-aboard boat accommodation rent free until he is financially back on his feet. She said she is willing to provide space in her own home until that happens.
editor@oakbaynews.com