Narrow boat completely destroyed in fire and left 'submerged' in Kennet and Avon canal

A canal boat that was completely destroyed in a fire has been left partially submerged in the Kennet and Avon canal.

Emergency services were called to the incident near the London Road bridge in Devizes, Wiltshire, at around 7pm on Saturday 25 November.

A spokesperson for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said the boat was “well alight” by the time its crews arrived from Devizes, Calne and Trowbridge.

They added: “Firefighters used three main jets to tackle the fire and police were requested to attend to close the footpath and road. The fire was extinguished (though a few hotspots remained internally) by 8.30pm.

"Police remained on scene overnight and a crew from Devizes re-attended on Sunday morning to dampen down remaining hotspots."

Wiltshire Police say the 60ft barge was "completely destroyed" in the fire and is now "submerged."

In a statement put out on the evening of the fire, a police spokesperson said: "We are not aware of any casualties and while the cause of the fire has yet to be determined, there are not thought to be any suspicious circumstances at this time."

Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed investigations into how the fire started remain ongoing.

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