Narrowboat gutted by fire

A NARROWBOAT moored on the Thames by Richmond Bridge has been gutted by fire.

The boat, Centaur, had been unused for a while, but a man had slept on it and lit the wood burning stove in the early morning it being so cold, and then flames shot out and the interior caught fire, Alan Tilbury reveals.

Completely burnt out

Richmond fire fighters confirmed that when they arrived at the scene in the early morning the boat was 'pretty well alight', with the interior completely burnt out.

The man who lit the fire, and had been aboard, was taken to hospital with minor burns, for luckily a Richmond Riverside security guard saw the flames.

Completely beautiful

The boat had been left by its owner last year, and had been sometimes used as an office, with the local boat building company having permission to use it. A spokesman at the company told that it was a 'completely beautiful boat inside', and that he had been trying to track down the owner for some time.

The remains of the boat have been secured to keep it afloat.