A fisherman was injured while attempting to put out a fire that completely destroyed his vessel at a jetty along Sungai Miri, behind Italy Furniture Trading, Jalan Lutong on Thursday evening.
The victim, identified as Ting Tiew Hing, 56, suffered minor burns to his cheek and right arm before being taken to hospital by family members for further treatment.
A spokesperson from the Fire and Rescue Department Malaysia (JBPM) Operations Centre said the department received an emergency call regarding the incident at about 5.30pm.
Following the report, firefighters from the Miri Sentral Fire and Rescue Station, assisted by the Lutong Fire and Rescue Station, were deployed to the location, which was about nine kilometres away.
“Upon arrival at 5.42pm, the operation team found a 60-foot-long and 14-foot-wide fishing vessel fully engulfed in flames.
“The boat owner sustained minor burns to his cheek and right arm while attempting to extinguish the fire before firefighters arrived,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
Firefighters used foam-based firefighting methods to contain the blaze, using a 100-foot hose line, a nozzle, fire engine pumps and water supplies from the tanker.
A total of 18 foam containers were used during the operation, including an additional 10 containers, to extinguish the fire involving about 10,000 litres of diesel stored inside the vessel.
The team also used a circular disc saw to open parts of the boat’s flooring, allowing foam to cover the burning diesel inside four fuel compartments located beneath the vessel.
A total flooding foam technique was then carried out to ensure no remaining ignition sources could cause the fire to restart before inspection and overhaul works began.
The fire was brought under control at 6.50pm, while the operation was fully completed at 10.12pm.
JBPM said the quick response by firefighters prevented the blaze from spreading to nearby boats, vessels and workers’ houses located close to the scene.
