Boat that ferried passengers to Boblo Island catches fire in Detroit



DETROIT — A boat once used to ferry passengers to an island amusement park in the Detroit River has caught fire at a marina where it's docked.

WDIV-TV reports that flames engulfed the boat Friday at Riverside Marina northeast of downtown Detroit and that fire crews were dousing the vessel with water.

The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.

The boat is one of two that traveled for decades between Detroit and Boblo Island in Canada, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) away. The amusement park closed in 1993.

The SS Ste. Claire and SS Columbia made their last runs in 1991. They were designated as National Historic Landmarks in 1992.

The Columbia was moved by tugboat in 2014 to Toledo, Ohio, for repairs before heading on to New York state.