Ferry Rescue: Passenger Detained After Fire

A passenger suspected of starting a fire on board a ferry in the North Sea sparking an emergency evacuation has been detained by ship staff.

Crew members and passengers had to be winched off a North Sea ferry heading to Amsterdam after they breathed in smoke when the fire broke out 30 miles from land.

Ferry operator DFDS Seaways said six people in total had been taken to hospital by helicopter.

Inspector Andrew Dixon said: "It is unknown if the fire was started deliberately or accidentally.

"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."

The fire broke out in a passenger cabin around 10.45pm and was extinguished by 11pm.

RAF helicopters from Leconfield near Hull and Boulmer, Northumberland were scrambled to the vessel along with RNLI lifeboats from Bridlington and Filey.

Passengers are being kept on board while police investigate

The 30,000-tonne ship arrived back at Newcastle ferry port, in North Shields, at around 4am and passengers were kept on board until 9am while police investigated.

Olivia Elliott, who was in a nightclub on the ferry when the alarm went off, told Sky News she "panicked" not knowing how serious the situation was.

"(It was) scary out there in the middle of the ocean. You've never been in that situation before - you don't know what to do."

She added: "The captain came on the tannoy and said we needed to evacuate to the outer deck because there had been a fire.

"We were outside for about 40 minutes before we were allowed to go back in."

Despite the emergency, she said most people remained calm.

This photo of the RAF helicopter was taken by a passenger

Another passenger, Steven Basford, said: "They sounded the fire alarms, high-pitched alarms, and them made an announcement we would have to evacuate to an outside deck.

"Then, when we started to evacuate to go further up the boat, you could see smoke in the corridors and in the common area and it hit home more then."

Lynn Smith-Davis, told Sky News the ship's crew had handled the emergency well but that some passengers had started fighting.

She said: "There was no panic where we were, but then later on when we were inside sitting in the bar and cafe area some people started fighting - fights broke out, which really didn't help the situation."

Ms Smith-Davis said she thought it was probably not related to the emergency situation.

Police arrived at the Newcastle Ferry Port in the early hours

Are you on board the King Seaways ferry? Email your pictures and video to news@sky.com, text 84501 (costs 25p, network charges vary), or tweet @SkyNews

A spokeswoman for DFDS Seaways said 946 passengers and 127 crew members were on board the King Seaways ferry, which was sailing from Newcastle to Amsterdam.

"Fifteen passengers and eight crew members are reported to have suffered from smoke-related injuries," she said.

"They have been checked by a doctor on-board, and two passengers and four crew members have been taken ashore by helicopter for further medical assistance at a local hospital in the UK.

"We will ensure that passengers and crew affected by the incident will be offered psychological assistance as well as other assistance that might be needed."

A spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: "All helicopters and life boats involved have been stood down, however Humber Coastguard is in constant contact with the ferry and an RAF helicopter is on stand-by should it need further assistance."

According to the DFDS Seaways website, the 26-year-old vessel has room for over 1,500 passengers and 600 cars. It was renovated in 2006.

It offers entertainment including restaurants, bars, a nightclub and a casino.

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