Hon. Dennis King, Premier of Prince Edward Island issued the following statement after the MV Holiday Island had a fire onboard off Wood Islands:
“Today was a scary day for those passengers and staff on board the MV Holiday Island, their families, and their loved ones. I want to thank all NFL staff, first responders, police, coast guard, paramedics, fire departments, local fishers, and volunteers who responded quickly to support the passengers in evacuating the vessel and getting to shore.
We have crews from the Fire Marshals Office, Emergency Measures Organization, Red Cross, and other provincial staff on the ground supporting these individuals with anything they need including accommodations, supplies, and transportation. These crews will continue to support the passengers and their families in the days ahead.
I want to also thank the team at Health PEI for quickly preparing our health system for the possibility of a large number of patients needing care; luckily that was not the case as there is no injuries reported at this time, but it’s comforting to know that our health system was ready, willing, and able to respond in such short notice.
This afternoon I spoke with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by phone and provided an update on the situation and reiterated the important transportation link that the Ferry provides for our province and our region. Prime Minister Trudeau offered Prince Edward Island any support needed in the days to come and committed to restoring the service as soon as possible.”
Media contact:
Adam Ross
Office of the Premier
adamross@gov.pe.ca