Fire chief says cause of fire that sank three yachts will likely never be found

VICTORIA — A marina fire in Sidney, B.C. has sunk three yachts worth millions, and the community’s fire chief says investigators may never find the cause.

Brett Mikkelsen says there is no evidence that the fire is suspicious, but the damage to the vessels, which now sit under about seven metres of water, make it unlikely that a cause will be found.

Mikkelsen says he expects that fire and insurance investigators will “piece” their way through what remains of the vessels, once they have been lifted out of the water, “but based on the extent and the severity of the fire,” he is not certain that they will ever get a “definitive answer.”

About 20 local fire crews responded to Van Isle Marina about 30 kilometres north of Victoria on Sunday and Mikkelsen says they could already see a “very large, black column of smoke” as they approached the fire.

Mikkelsen says the vessels have a combined estimated replacement value of up to $12 million and were moored beside each other.

He says arriving crews quickly realized that their “primary task” was to save nearby vessels, while they alerted the Canadian Coast Guard, the Western Canada Marine Response Corporation, and B.C.’s Ministry of the Environment.

“We were fortunate to get there quickly, and that we have our marina fire pumps that can produce a large volume and pressure of water that is able to protect 70-foot-large vessels,” he says.

Michael Lowry, Western Canada Marine’s public relations director, says three of its vessels with crews responded to the fire.

Lowry says efforts during the first 24 hours have focused on containing the diesel released during the fire with containment booms, then the crews turned their attention to removing the diesel from the water.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 2, 2026.