North Sea ferry fire suspect released on bail
RAF helicopters airlifted a pregnant passenger and five crew members to hospital after the blaze One of two men being questioned by police about a fire on a North Sea ferry has been released on bail.
The man, 28, arrested on suspicion of affray, has been bailed until February, while a 26-year-old man arrested on suspicion of arson is still in custody.
Six people were airlifted to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation on the MS King Seaways, 30 miles from the Yorkshire coast on Saturday night.
The DFDS Seaways ferry had 946 passengers and 127 crew on board.
The five crew members who fought the fire, and a pregnant passenger were taken to Scarborough Hospital.
All have since been discharged.
'Movie scene'DFDS said the fire had started at about 22:45 GMT on Saturday - as the ferry sailed from North Shields to Ijmuiden, in the Netherlands - but was extinguished within 15 minutes.
It returned early on Sunday to North Shields, where passengers disembarked following police interviews.
One passenger filmed the moment people were told to head for the lifeboats
Insp Andrew Dixon of Humberside Police said the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) had called them at about 23:00 GMT and had said a passenger was "believed to have set fire to a cabin".
"As a result of this incident, the person suspected of causing the fire, or the person from the cabin where the fire occurred - be it deliberate or accidental - has been detained by ship staff," he added.
'Very damaged'Passenger Julie Bell, from Washington, Tyne and Wear, said: "It was like a scene from a movie - a chaotic mess, horrible.
"It was terrifying and I won't be travelling by boat again. I think I will stay in the UK from now on, it's a lot safer."
A DFDS spokesman said the cabin that was burnt was "very damaged" and there had been some smoke damage to surrounding cabins, "but the ship's function has not been affected in any way and is safe to travel".
Katie Gellatly, from Humber Coastguard, explains how the rescue unfolded
The company said it was doing "everything to help" passengers complete their journey from Tyneside.
It said it was organising free alternative travel arrangements with another ferry operator departing from Hull on Monday, with free accommodation on Sunday night on the MS King Seaways before a coach transfer to Hull.
"If passengers opt to cancel their travel arrangements and make alternative arrangements, they will be fully refunded with the option to re-book at a later date for no extra charge," the operator added.
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