Investigators say an overheated bearing likely sparked a small fire in the machinery area of an MBTA ferry on Monday, forcing the evacuation of 25 passengers. The fire was put out quickly, and no injuries were reported.
A small fire in the machinery area of an MBTA ferry Monday afternoon was enough to send 25 passengers off the boat and into emergency response—an episode the agency now points to as a malfunction tied to an overheated bearing.
The Champion MBTA ferry was making its scheduled 2 p.m. trip from Hingham to Long Wharf when crews discovered the fire, according to the MBTA. The agency said the incident led to an evacuation of the 25 passengers.
In a preliminary investigation, the MBTA said an overheated bearing likely sparked a fire on the outside of the bearing casing. The fire was quickly put out, and the MBTA said there were no injuries.
The response did not end when the flames went out. The MBTA said it is still working with the US Coast Guard as the final investigation, reviews, and any corrective action plans are developed.
After the evacuation, passengers were picked up by an MBTA bus and taken to Long Wharf and the Aquarium MBTA station.
The agency also thanked first responders from Boston Fire and Massport Fire for their work during the incident.
MBTA ferry fire Champion Hingham Long Wharf Castle Island Boston Fire Marine US Coast Guard evacuation bearings
Overheated bearing again? Sounds like the boat was basically cooking itself.
So they evacuated 25 people and it was out quickly but no injuries… ok. Still wild though, like imagine being on that ferry and suddenly it’s just something smoking. Also why were they letting it go if it’s “likely” the bearing.
lol overheated bearing = spark to the whole engine room right? I saw someone say bearings are usually from lack of maintenance but idk. If they’re still working with the Coast Guard maybe it was more than that? The article says “outside of the bearing casing” which sounds like they just found a thing and called it a day.
This is why I hate taking ferries. One little mechanical thing and they panic everyone off the boat, bus to the station, Coast Guard involved… it’s like every other week something’s “likely” malfunction. I bet it had something to do with the weather or people overloading it or whatever.