A laid-up passenger ferry that had operated on the River Mersey in the UK for more than 40 years caught fire in the southeastern London town of Woolwich on Tuesday, April 8.
The BBC reports that around half of the moored ferry Royal Iris was already ablaze by the time personnel, fire engines and a response boat from the London Fire Brigade (LFB) arrived at the scene shortly after 16:15 local time on Tuesday.
The LFB said the fire was brought under control less than three hours later and that an investigation has been launched to identify the probable causes of the incident.
Originally entering service on the River Mersey in 1951, Royal Iris was certified to transport nearly 2,300 passengers on each voyage.
The ferry had suffered an earlier onboard fire on January 12, 1975, as its annual survey was ongoing. The blaze, which originated in the engine room, resulted in significant damage to the onboard electrical system.
The vessel was towed to Woolwich in 2002. It has remained there ever since.
Plans for the vessel included possible conversion into a floating nightclub. The refit never took place, however.