A fishing vessel anchored in the Inner Harbour caught fire yesterday evening, and the fire later spread to two other fishing vessels anchored nearby, the authorities announced.
A person, whose gender was not revealed, sustained a slight head injury due to the incident and was taken to the private Kiang Wu Hospital where his or her condition remained stable last night. The smoky blaze was jointly put out by vessels of the mainland and local marine authorities. Local firefighters were also deployed to the scene “as standbys” on the shore.
The blaze was brought under control within 30 minutes, after which Marine and Water Bureau (DSAMA) Director Susana Wong Soi Man, Macau Customs Service Assistant Director-General Vong Vai Man and Fire Services Bureau (CB) Commissioner Leong Iok Sam briefed reporters at the scene on the shore.
A DSAMA statement last night said that the Macau Customs Service noticed at around 6:30 p.m. that a fishing boat anchored outside the Patane Market Municipal Complex was on fire. A number of Macau Customs Service vessels rushed to the scene within a few minutes to begin fighting the fire, during which the blaze became so fierce that it then spread to two other fishing boats anchored nearby, the DSAMA statement said.
Under the joint fire-fighting operation by the Macau Customs Service vessels, a number of DSAMA vessels and a vessel of the mainland marine authorities, the fire was brought under control within 30 minutes, the statement said.
Afterwards, a DSAMA vessel pulled the gutted fishing boat where the fire first erupted to the nearby Pier 28, after which local firefighters went onto the boat where they checked and confirmed no-one had been trapped inside and continued hosing down the vessel so as to lower the temperature, the statement said.
The rescue vessels continued hosing down one of the other fishing boats as it was still smoking, before the fire on this boat was completely extinguished at around 10 p.m., the statement said.
The DSAMA statement said that a total of 16 vessels of the Marine and Water Bureau and the Macau Customs Service were deployed to the scene for the joint fire-fighting and rescue operations, and a vessel of the mainland marine authorities was also deployed to the scene to hose down the fishing boats.
According to the statement, the Fire Services Bureau also dispatched eight vehicles and 39 firefighters to the scene “as standbys” on the shore.
Speaking to reporters at the scene on the shore, Wong said that her bureau deployed a total of six vessels to the scene for the operations. The authorities will carry out an investigation to establish the cause of the fire, Wong said, adding that her bureau was still looking for the owners of the three fishing boats.
Wong also said that a lot of water had accumulated in the cabin of the fishing boat where the fire first erupted during the fire fighting operation, resulting in the boat tilting to one side, adding that therefore firefighters had to pump the water out of the boat, so as to prevent it from sinking.
Vong said that the Macau Customs Service noticed the fire at around 6:30 p.m. through its CCTV surveillance system, after which it immediately deployed five patrol vessels and five speedboats to the scene.
Leong said that Macau Customs Service vessels were already hosing down the fishing boats when firefighters arrived at the scene.
This photo circulating on social media which was published by the local Chinese-language newspaper Macao Daily News on its news app last night shows three fishing boats on fire in the Inner Harbour.
