Minor fire hits ship, no one hurt
MV St. Joseph the Worker of the Negros Navigation Company carrying 385 passengers caught minor fire while enroute to Bacolod City early morning yesterday, February 2.
The ship which came from Cagayan de Oro was four miles off Balatong point, between Bayawan, Negros Oriental and Hinoba-an, Negros Occidental, when the fire occurred.
Fire was totally extinguished minutes after it was reported. There were no casualties and all the 385 passengers were safe and accounted for. Among the passengers were employees of Department of Tourism Cagayan De Oro who are scheduled to have a familiarization trip to Boracay Island today.
The cause of the fire is still being investigated while the ship arrived at 11:00 a. m., February 2 in Bacolod.
A press release from NN management reported that smoke coming out of the wagon deck area of St. Joseph the Worker was reported at around 2:40 a.m. Vessel Master, Capt. Leo Inocencio immediately activated the ship's emergency response procedures. Fire fighting teams were dispatched to the area, sprinklers were activated and fire control boundaries were immediately established. As a safety procedure, passengers were ushered to the mustering stations and their needs attended to by the ship's personnel.
The rapid reaction and the almost seamless handling of passengers were attributed to the regular crowd and crisis training and emergency response drills being conducted on board.
MV St. Joseph the Worker was bound for Manila via Bacolod and Iloilo City.
Proper arrangements were made by the NN management for the care of its passengers while stranded on their trip.