Fire on board: what to do

Last verified: 14 October 2026

Step by step

1. Lifejackets on, raise the alarm

   Make sure everyone is wearing a lifejacket and knows there is a fire.[1][2]

2. Send a MAYDAY first

   Send a DSC distress alert and a MAYDAY on VHF channel 16 before you shut off the power, as this may affect your radio.[3][4][5][6]

3. Cut fuel, gas and power

   Engine fire: stop the engine and shut off the fuel. Electrical fire: turn off the power. Galley or gas: turn off the gas supply.[7][8][9]

4. Keep the engine space closed

   Don't open engine hatches or doors unless you have to: air feeds the fire. Close the engine space ventilation.[10][8][11]

5. Put the fire downwind

   If you are moving, turn the boat so the fire is downwind of you, and stop the engine if it is safe in the conditions.[12]

6. Fight a small fire only if safe

   If you are confident, aim the extinguisher at the base of the flames in short bursts, sweeping side to side, and keep going for a few seconds after the flames are out. Smother small fires with a fire blanket.[13][14][15][16][17]

7. Stay out of the smoke

   Don't go into a smoke-filled cabin. If you are in smoke, keep low. A dry powder extinguisher makes a thick cloud, so keep your way out clear.[18][19]

8. Get clear if it spreads

   If the fire spreads quickly or you can't control it, move as far from it as you can on deck, take a handheld VHF and prepare to abandon the boat. Near land or moored, get everyone off and call the local emergency number.[20][21][22][23]

9. Watch for carbon monoxide

   Headache, nausea, dizziness, weakness or irritated eyes can be CO poisoning. Move the person to fresh air and get medical help.[24][25][26]

Don't

• Don't open the engine hatch to look at an engine fire.[10][11]
• Don't fight a fire you are not confident to tackle. If in doubt, get out.[27][17]
• Don't go into a smoke-filled space.[18]
• Don't stop spraying the moment the flames go out. The fire can restart.[13][15]
• Don't mistake carbon monoxide poisoning for seasickness.[24][28]

Before you sail

• Before you sail: keep fire extinguishers and a fire blanket within easy reach, near exits, the galley and the engine.[29][30]
• Read the extinguisher instructions and check them each time you go out.[31][32]
• Refuel carefully: most fires happen during or shortly after fuelling. Ventilate, run the blower for at least four minutes and check for fuel vapour before starting.[33][34]
• Fit a marine CO alarm and check its batteries before every trip.[35][36][37]
• Make sure everyone knows how to close the fuel and gas valves and switches.[38]

Frequently asked

Sources

1. Transport Canada – Safe Boating Guide (TP 511E, 03/2026) (2026-10-14): “If you have a fire on board, make sure everyone is wearing a lifejacket or PFD and use extinguishers to control the fire.”
2. Coastguard New Zealand (2026-10-14): “Putting on lifejackets if you’re not already wearing them”
3. Coastguard New Zealand (2026-10-14): “Raising the alarm (MAYDAY)”
4. Coastguard New Zealand (2026-10-14): “Note: This may affect communication, so make sure you’ve raised the alarm first.”
5. Coastguard New Zealand (2026-10-14): “A distress/Mayday call is used to indicate that a boat or person is threatened by grave and imminent danger and requires immediate assistance - for example, a boat taking on water, a vessel on fire, a person overboard or a serious medical emergency such as a heart attack.”
6. Maritime and Coastguard Agency (HM Coastguard) (2026-10-14): “Only to be used in the event of grave and imminent danger and assistance is required. Send a distress alert using digital selective calling (DSC), (press and hold the button until the alert is sent).”
7. Coastguard New Zealand (2026-10-14): “Fuel – Shut down the engine and fuel supply if it is an engine fire; Turn off the power supply if it is an electrical fire.”
8. Transport Canada – Small Commercial Vessel Safety Guide (TP 14070) (2026-10-14): “If the fire is located in the engine space, stop the engine, shut off the fuel source and close the engine space ventilation.”
9. UK Home Office – Fire safety on boats (2026-10-14): “If you can smell gas, turn the supply off and get it checked out straight away!”
10. UK Home Office – Fire safety on boats (2026-10-14): “Starve the fire of air. Don’t open engine hatches or doors unless you have to.”
11. Transport Canada – Small Commercial Vessel Safety Guide (TP 14070) (2026-10-14): “An important requirement for fire fighting is that there is a way to put out a fire in enclosed engine spaces without needing to open the engine space access hatch or door.”
12. Transport Canada – Safe Boating Guide (TP 511E, 03/2026) (2026-10-14): “If your boat is moving when a fire starts, position the boat so the fire is downwind from you and stop the engine if it’s safe to do so under the weather conditions.”
13. Transport Canada – Safe Boating Guide (TP 511E, 03/2026) (2026-10-14): “For a small fire, aim the fire extinguisher spray at the base of the flames. Sweep the discharge nozzle from side-to-side and for a few seconds once the flames are completely out.”
14. Transport Canada – Small Commercial Vessel Safety Guide (TP 14070) (2026-10-14): “If a fire starts, grab the fire extinguisher, activate it and direct it at the base of the flames using short bursts and sweeping the hose from side to side.”
15. Transport Canada – Safe Boating Guide (TP 511E, 03/2026) (2026-10-14): “Otherwise, the fire could restart and there may not be enough left in the extinguisher to put it out again.”
16. Coastguard New Zealand (2026-10-14): “Oxygen – smothering the fire with a fire blanket or extinguisher”
17. UK Home Office – Fire safety on boats (2026-10-14): “Only consider tackling a fire with an extinguisher if you are confident how to use it. Don’t place yourself in danger. If in doubt, evacuate the boat.”
18. UK Home Office – Fire safety on boats (2026-10-14): “Do not enter a smoke filled space. If you are already in a smoke filled space keep low down where the air is clearer.”
19. UK Home Office – Fire safety on boats (2026-10-14): “Be prepared for a dry powder extinguisher to create a dense powder-cloud, reducing visibility and impairing breathing. Don’t jeopardise your escape.”
20. Transport Canada – Small Commercial Vessel Safety Guide (TP 14070) (2026-10-14): “Consider evacuation if the fire is spreading quickly or cannot be brought under control.”
21. UK Home Office – Fire safety on boats (2026-10-14): “If you are off-shore move as far away from the fire as you can on deck. Get everybody into life jackets. Take a handheld VHF radio onto deck with you to call for help. Notify the Coastguard by radio, make a Mayday call and/or display a distress signal.”
22. Coastguard New Zealand (2026-10-14): “Preparing to abandon ship”
23. UK Home Office – Fire safety on boats (2026-10-14): “If you are inland or moored near to land move everybody off the boat and call 999 immediately.”
24. U.S. Coast Guard Boating Safety (2026-10-14): “Early symptoms of CO poisoning include irritated eyes, headache, nausea, weakness, and dizziness. They are often confused with seasickness or intoxication, so those affected may not receive the medical attention they need.”
25. U.S. Coast Guard Boating Safety (2026-10-14): “Evacuate the area and move affected person(s) to a fresh air environment.”
26. Department of Transport, Western Australia (2026-10-14): “If you suspect someone on board has carbon monoxide poisoning: move them to a well-ventilated area immediately call for medical assistance.”
27. UK Home Office – Fire safety on boats (2026-10-14): “If in doubt, don’t fight a fire yourself.”
28. Transport Canada – Safe Boating Guide (TP 511E, 03/2026) (2026-10-14): “Carbon monoxide (CO) is a deadly gas you can’t see, smell or taste. CO comes in through your lungs, cuts off the oxygen supply to your body and can kill you in minutes. Be alert! Symptoms include headaches, nausea and fatigue, which can often seem like seasickness or the flu.”
29. UK Home Office – Fire safety on boats (2026-10-14): “Keep fire blankets and extinguishers within easy reach, close to exits and risk points, such as the galley and engine area.”
30. Transport Canada – Small Commercial Vessel Safety Guide (TP 14070) (2026-10-14): “Keep fire extinguishers near exits so that you don't trap yourself when you move to get one.”
31. Transport Canada – Small Commercial Vessel Safety Guide (TP 14070) (2026-10-14): “Read the instructions on your fire extinguishers and make sure you understand how they work.”
32. U.S. Coast Guard Boating Safety – A Boater’s Guide to the Federal Requirements for Recreational Boats (2026-10-14): “Inspect your fire extinguisher each time you get underway make sure that:”
33. U.S. Coast Guard Boating Safety – A Boater’s Guide to the Federal Requirements for Recreational Boats (2026-10-14): “Most fires and explosions happen during or shortly after fueling.”
34. U.S. Coast Guard Boating Safety – A Boater’s Guide to the Federal Requirements for Recreational Boats (2026-10-14): “After fueling, open all ports, hatches, and doors to ventilate. Run the blower for at least four minutes. Check the bilges for fuel vapors before starting the engine.”
35. UK Home Office – Fire safety on boats (2026-10-14): “Fit a CO alarm to alert you of any poisonous carbon monoxide. Check your CO alarm is suitable for marine use and meets the EN50291-2 standard.”
36. Transport Canada – Safe Boating Guide (TP 511E, 03/2026) (2026-10-14): “Use a marine-grade CO detector and check its batteries before every trip”
37. Department of Transport, Western Australia (2026-10-14): “install carbon monoxide alarms in the engine room and the main cabin”
38. UK Home Office – Fire safety on boats (2026-10-14): “Make sure people know how to close emergency valves and switches in case of fire.”

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