1 dead in boat fire at Batangas City port

FIRE AT SEA. Firefighters train their hoses to a burning sea vessel anchored in Batangas City port which caught fire Sunday, October 22. Photo from PCG-District Southern Tagalog

LUCENA CITY — A person died after a boat caught fire Sunday while anchored at the port of Batangas City.

The Philippine Coast Guard-District Southern Tagalog (PCG-DST) said in a report that the marine vessel, Motor Tanker Sea Horse, caught fire at around 9 a.m. while it was docked at the anchorage area in Barangay (village) Wawa.

“There was one recorded fatality, and an investigation is still being done to identify the corpse,” the PCG-DST said in a post on its Facebook page. The report did not provide further information on the fatality.

READ: Vessel catches fire in Lapu-Lapu City — PCG

The PCG personnel, local firefighters, and three tugboats with firefighting capabilities helped put off the blaze.

Authorities declared a fire out at around 11:08 a.m.

The report did not specify the cargo of the vessel.

The fire at Motor Tanker Sea Horse, a vessel that caught fire off the waters near Alpha Anchorage Area, Batangas on Sunday, is being put out by rescue personnel. (Photo courtesy of Coast Guard District Southern Tagalog Facebook)

READ: Fire hits vessel off Tagbilaran City port; 132 passengers, crewmen rescued

But it said the Marine Environmental Protection Group Batangas coordinated with Petron Company “for a standby oil spill boom in preparation for possible oil spill response.”

Authorities are still conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the fire. — Luisa Cabato, INQUIRER.net