Car Fire Breaks Out On Cross Sound Ferry

ORIENT POINT, NY — A minivan burst into flames on the Cross Sound Ferry Friday afternoon, according to Orient Fire Department Chief Mike Prindle.

According to Prindle, the Orient Fire Department was dispatched to the dock at Orient Point just after 2 p.m. after a report of a vehicle fire.

The vehicle, Prindle said, was located up on the second deck, up the smaller ramp. While the cause of the fire was not immediately known, Prindle said it may have been electrical since it began under the hood.

Before the Orient Fire Department arrived on the scene, the Cross Sound Ferry crew had extinguished the flames, Prindle said. "They have water supplies around the boat for just such an incident," he said.

One member of the Cross Sound Ferry crew, Prindle said, was taken to Eastern Long Island Hospital as a precautionary measure after helping to extinguish the flames.

When firefighters arrived on the scene, they used a thermal imaging gun to make sure there were no hot spots and pulled out the battery, Prindle added.

The ferry, he said, was parked and had just boarded, and the crew was pulling vehicles off the ferry when the first responders arrived at the scene.

Prindle said the vehicle in front of the minivan didn't appear to have sustained too much damage.

However, the minivan was a "total loss," Prindle said. "This wasn't a little electrical fire. The fire cooked the entire engine compartment."

The owner of the vehicle was not inside when the fire broke out, he said.

Cross Sound Ferry staff decided to take the car off in Connecticut, Prindle said, since it was located on an upper platform and surrounded by cars.

The chief commended the Cross Sound Ferry staff for their rapid response and getting the flames immediately under control so the fire didn't spread. "They got the hood open and water on the fire quickly," he said. The fire department, Prindle said, just made sure the flames weren't going to flare up again.

"Without a doubt, this could have been a lot worse. It could have been a pretty bad disaster, with all the cars," Prindle said. "They did a wonderful job."

Cross Sound Ferry officials could not immediately comment on the incident.