Vehicles may not be recovered from burning MV Holiday Island-صحيفة الصوت

Ferry service between P.E.I. and Nova Scotia has been suspended for the weekend as the fire that forced more than 200 passengers and staff to evacuate the MV Holiday Island on Friday continues to burn.

Passengers have also been told by Northumberland Ferries that the company isn’t sure whether vehicles on board can be recovered.

Northumberland Ferries announced Friday evening the ferry service between Caribou, N.S., and Wood Islands, P.E.I., would be cancelled for a second day due to the emergency situation at the MV Holiday Island. It said in an update Saturday morning that all crossings would also be cancelled through Sunday.

As of 9 a.m. on Saturday, smoke could still be seen billowing from the ferry that was headed to P.E.I., almost a full day after a fire broke out from the vessel’s engine room.

Northumberland Ferries said in a text message update to passengers at around 10 a.m. that the fire had not been extinguished and that the company doesn’t know yet about the possibility of recovering vehicles.

In an update on its website, it said crew and firefighters ended onboard efforts to extinguish the fire and evacuated the ferry “out of an abundance of caution” at about 9:30 p.m. Friday.

The update said the fire appears to still be contained in the engine room and funnels of the ship. But it has called in an environmental response team “as a precaution” that’s now on site.

It said the Canadian Coast Guard monitored the situation throughout the night and is still there. A tugboat is also standing by.

“Northumberland Ferries Limited deeply regrets the inconvenience this has caused to so many of our customers,” the company said in the release. “We will continue to work with the affected customers to return them home as quickly as possible or to extend temporary accommodation.”

The release stated the company will keeping in touch with the passengers.

“We will separately and directly communicate with our customers concerning the ongoing status and support and care for our customers.

“Ferry service using MV Confederation remains suspended today and tomorrow with further updates to follow.”

Four Transportation Safety Board of Canada investigators have been deployed to P.E.I.

The TSB said the investigators will be interviewing witnesses and collecting data. It said they will only board the ferry if it’s ruled to be safe.