Minister to assess damage after 5 fishing boats destroyed by fire in Quebec's Magdalen Islands

Fishing boats are engulfed in flames at the Grande-Entrée wharf in Magdalen Islands, Que., on Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Source: Laureat Deraspe/Facebook)

Federal fisheries minister Diane Lebouthillier was scheduled to visit the Magdalen Islands' Grande-Entrée wharf Monday after five fishing boats were destroyed by a fire.

The fire broke out one of the vessels Sunday morning and then spread to four others in the harbour. All but one of the boats sank, spilling an estimated 18 and 220 litres of hydrocarbons into the waters, according to the Canadian Coast Guard.

Firefighters took about three hours to extinguish the blaze in the wharf, which is home to more than 100 lobster boats. The cause of the fire is unknown.

Diane Lebouthillier, who is the MP for the area and is Canada's Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, is set to arrive in the Port of Grande-Entrée Monday afternoon to assess the damage. She will be accompanied by Mayor Antonin Valiquette, who is also president of the Communauté maritime des Îles-de-la-Madeleine, and Cédric Arseneau, area director for the Magdalen Islands at Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

The Cost Guard's environmental assessment team was deployed to the scene Sunday and is expected to begin cleaning up the pollutants and debris Monday.

Mayor Valiquette described the fire as a "tragic wake-up call" and thanked firefighters in a post on his Facebook profile.

"My thoughts are with the fishermen directly affected by the fire that destroyed 5 fishing boats, their helpers and their families. For fishermen, a boat is more than a work tool, it's practically a member of the family," the post reads.