On the evening of June 29, in an exchange with Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Nguyen Van Hung - Secretary of the Party Committee of Cat Tien commune (Gia Lai province) - said that according to initial statistics, the fire occurred in the boat anchorage area on Thi Nai lagoon, the border area between Quy Nhon Dong ward and Tuy Phuoc Dong commune, causing damage to 15 local fishing boats.
Among them, 11 ships were completely burned down and 4 ships were partially burned. It is still impossible to estimate the total value of damage due to differences in ship age, construction time and fluctuations in material prices. It is estimated that a newly built fishing vessel about 15m long currently costs about 1 billion VND/vehicle.
Through initial review, among the 15 damaged ships, 5 ships registered for discharge, 1 ship had expired its Exploitation License and Technical Safety Certificate, and most of them had no insurance.
According to initial information, at about 12 pm on the same day, a fishing boat anchored suddenly caught fire fiercely. The fire quickly spread to adjacent boats, creating a column of black smoke rising high, covering the entire area.
At the time of the fire, the tide receded deeply, causing many ships to get stranded, unable to start engines or move out of the dangerous area, causing the fire to spread quickly.
Immediately after receiving the news, the Fire and Rescue Police force mobilized officers, soldiers and specialized vehicles to the scene, urgently deploying measures to extinguish the fire and prevent it from spreading.
Leaders of the Fire and Rescue Police Department of Gia Lai Provincial Police said that by about 3 pm on the same day, the fire was completely extinguished. The force promptly rescued about 50 fishing boats, removed them from the dangerous area, limited damage and protected fishermen's property.
Currently, the cause of the fire is being investigated and clarified by functional agencies.
