Seattle Fishing Boat Returning Home After Fire

Photo from Seattlest Flickr User Matt Westervelt
Next season on The Deadliest Catch? A Seattle-based fish processor is on its way back home after it caught fire in the Bering Sea. The Pacific Glacier caught fire on Tuesday night, forcing the majority of its 106 crew members into rescue rafts. In the Bering Sea. In the middle of the night. In the depth of an Arctic winter. No thank you.

The fire started in the boat's laundry room and spread throughout the boat. The fire burned for five hours before being extinguished by 16 crew members, who stayed on board to fight the blaze. Eighty percent of the Pacific Glacier's crew calls the Seattle-area home. The entire crew survived the fire without incident or injury, despite the whole floating in the Bering Sea in the middle of February in a life raft or fighting a fire in an enclosed space thing.

The boat is returning to Seattle on its own power. Weather permitting, it is expected to return to port tonight. When it returns, the fire damage to the boat--said to be extensive--will be assessed. The cost to replace the boat if it is beyond repair is estimated at $55 million.