Hovercraft ferry suffers onboard fire in Portsmouth, UK; all passengers safely evacuated

Personnel from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service (HIWFRS) were deployed to the pier upon receiving reports of smoke. However, an HIWFRS official said that the ferry's onboard suppression system had already extinguished the blaze by the time first responders arrived at the scene.

The responding firefighters then assisted in cooling the ferry's engine compartment and in monitoring the vessel and the surrounding area. The fire crews left the scene and returned to their respective stations about an hour later.

A spokesman for Hovertravel has assured that the fire on Island Flyer was "an isolated occurrence" and that the company's service between Southsea and Ryde resumed at 18:30 on Thursday, June 25.