On Thursday, Jan. 19 fire service responders from across the Kenai Peninsula service area responded to a fire on the R/V Qualifier in the Northern Enterprises Boatyard on Kachemak Drive.
“Almost every fire department in the Southern Kenai Peninsula was at the scene,” vessel owner Dave Mastolier told the Homer News in a phone interview.
The fire was first reported by crew members on board the vessel. “We have safety protocols in place, and our crewman followed it to a T. And everybody got off the boat fine,” Mastolier said.
The crew capacity for the boat is usually five, with an additional eight to 12 researchers on board, he said.
The 105-foot Qualifier’s primary duty typically is creating hydrographic surveys, charts for NOAA and contract work with other government agencies. The boat is part of the fleet operated by Support Vessels of Alaska, the company owned by Mastolier and partner Jared Bradshaw.