16 hours ago
Yacht's lower deck catches fire off Shetland as lifeboat launches
The Paula Rosa had set off from Lerwick with four adult crew members on board on Tuesday at around 2pm and was bound for Norway.
However, around 30 minutes after the 24-metre yacht set sail, around four nautical miles north of Bressay, a fire was detected onboard.
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The blaze was extinguished automatically by the onboard fire suppression system, but the vessel's hydraulics were disabled following the incident, meaning the vessel had no steering or other systems.
There were no injuries as a result of the fire.
With potentially toxic gases below deck, inspection of the systems at sea was not possible and the skipper of the vessel contacted HM Coastguard for assistance.
The RNLI Lerwick Lifeboat was launched just before 3.30pm and the council ferry MV Filla was diverted from her route to stand by in case the stricken yacht was in need of assistance
The lifeboat towed the yacht back to the safety of Lerwick Harbour at around 6.30pm.
(Image: RNLI Lerwick)
The yacht was taken alongside at Alexandra Quay, just north of the Bressay ferry terminal, where she was met by coastguard rescue teams and fire crews from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, who boarded the vessel to carry out safety checks.
The vessel will remain in Lerwick Harbour for inspection and repairs.
Coxswain Stephen Manson said: 'We were pleased to be able to assist the crew after what must have been a distressing experience to have a fire on board.
