MMEA patrol vessel catches fire while docked in Kuala Baram

MIRI (Nov 1): A Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) patrol vessel docked in Kuala Baram here caught fire late last night.

The Lutong fire station (BBP) said the fire occurred on the middle deck of ‘KM Stapa’.

“A distress call was received by BBP Lutong operations control room (PKO) around 11.35pm and a team of five personnel was immediately despatched to the location around 11km away.

“Upon arrival to the location, we found that the fire that started from the second deck section had already damaged 40 per cent of the vessel. Fortunately, no one was injured as the vessel was under maintenance and repair at the time,” Lutong fire station chief Henry Jugah said in a statement.

Firefighters used a RECEO (rescue, exposures, confinement, extinguish, and overhaul) method, deployed two 400-foot-long hose lines with four nozzles, and used an open water source to extinguish the fire.

The fire was fully extinguished around 1am.

After ensuring the area was safe and the fire was completely put out, the firefighters ended the operation at 5.10am.

The cause of the incident and value of damages are still under investigation.