Gallery: Firefighters tackle four-boat blaze at Wells quay
This photograph of the boats burning at Wells quay was captured by Ricky Frary, who lives nearby. - Credit: Archant
More than 30 firefighters rushed to tackle a fire burning on four boats at Wells quay this morning.
Crews were called to the fire just before 11.30am, along with police officers, paramedics and the air ambulance.
Three yachts and a boat were on fire, though people on board managed to escape the fire before firefighters arrived.
Nearby boats were also evacuated as firefighters assessed how to tackle the fire.
Eye-witness Mark Potter, 49, was on a day out with his family in Wells when he spotted the thick smoke rising.
He said: 'We couldn't see the flames, but there was smoke coming from behind a couple of big sheds.
'It was very thick black smoke, as if it was diesel burning, and it seemed to cover the whole of Wells.
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'The firefighters were having to run the engines from one end of Wells to the other to fill them up from the hydrant.'
Mr Potter, of Cromer, said the quay had not been busy when the fire broke out, and that the firefighters had appeared to get the situation under control 'reasonably quickly'.
'They seemed to be mounting an operation with a fire service rescue boat. We just hoped that no one was injured,' he added.
A Norfolk fire service spokesman said 34 firefighters and officers from Fakenham, Holt and Wells were at the scene, along with the urban search and rescue team. Crews are using breathing apparatus and main jets to fight the fire.
Were you in Wells when the fire started? You can send details and photographs to mark.shields@archant.co.uk.
For the full story of the fire and more stunning pictures, see Saturday's EDP.
