On Thursday, a cargo ship caught fireplace off the coast of Castilla, a municipality on the far southeastern tip of Luzon, prompting a large-scale response.

At about 1100 hours, the Philippine Coast Guard obtained discover that the freighter Ken had caught fireplace off Barangay Poblacion, Castilla. The ship was anchored on the roadstead in Sorgoson Bay, simply off the port. 

In response, the PCG coordinated with native firefighters and dispatched a patrol vessel to the scene. The Philippine Navy vessel BRP Federico Martir (PC-385) arrived on scene, and the crew used a fireplace hose to suppress the blaze within the vessel’s deckhouse. 

According to the crew, the hearth began within the mess space. Video from the scene reveals that it burned via the lodging block and up via the wheelhouse.

Local firefighters declared the hearth extinguished at about 1500 hours. No accidents or air pollution had been reported, and the ship’s eight crewmembers had been unhurt.