Passengers and crewmembers stuck onboard for over 24 hours
Nearly one hundred people have been trapped onboard a cross-Channel ferry after a fire broke out yesterday.
The Commodore Clipper was inbound to Portsmouth from Jersey when the blaze was discovered in a refrigerated lorry on its lower vehicle deck at around 3am.
The ferry’s sprinklers were activated to drench the vehicle deck and contain the fire, which was quickly brought under
control.
None of the ferry’s 62 passengers or her 39 crew were hurt in the incident but they have been stuck onboard since the ferry docked at 11am this morning.
Condor Ferries said passengers would normally disembark on a minibus but the vehicle deck is still being cleared.
Capt Fran Collins told the BBC, “At present, both Condor Ferries and Hampshire fire service agree that it is not yet safe to disembark.”
“The vehicle decks are still being cleared of smoke, adding to the soot of the fire and the water used to drench it.”
