Comox Valley RCMP is trying to locate the owner of a sailboat that was discovered to be burning just off of HMCS Quadra in the early morning hours of Oct. 1. 

The blaze was first reported to fire fighters shortly after 5am and they were limited in what they could do to assist the burning vessel.

鈥滻t was called in by a resident living along the beach on Jane Street and we鈥檙e still trying to track down the owner of it, RCMP have taken over the fire,鈥� says Comox Fire Rescue Chief Gord Schreiner. 

Crews utilized their fire boat to reach the vessel but it was fully engulfed when they arrived.

鈥滻t was almost under the water by the time we got there and the fire was diminishing when crew arrived,鈥� Schreiner adds. 

As one crew extinguished the blaze a second one searched the shoreline along the Comox Bay near HMCS Quadra.  

鈥淲e walked the shoreline for probably almost an hour looking for any possible victims from the boat, couldn鈥檛 see anybody in the boat itself but there wasn鈥檛 much left there when we got there鈥� he says. 

Because the vessel, estimated to be a 20 foot sailboat was moored well outside the Comox Marina it will be difficult to determine an owner, notes Schreiner.

鈥漈he numbers and the name were burnt off the boat by the time we got to it, they did pick up a first name off a float that the boat was attached to." 

Schreiner says the boat sank as fire crews attempted to tow it to HCMS Quadra, RCMP are continuing their investigation.