A major fire broke out at Tam Quan fishing port in Hoai Nhon Bac Ward, Gia Lai Province, on the evening of July 9, engulfing seven to eight fishing boats moored at the harbour. Initial estimates put the damage at tens of billions of Vietnamese dong.
Local authorities in Hoai Nhon Bac Ward confirmed that firefighters and emergency crews were working to contain the blaze.
Several fishing boats moored at Tam Quan fishing port are engulfed by flames on July 9 (Photo: Cong Son).
According to officials, the fire began at about 5.20 pm when a fishing boat moored at Tam Quan fishing port suddenly caught fire. The vessel later broke free from its mooring line and drifted towards an anchorage near the shipbuilding yard of Hoai Nhon Fisheries Joint Stock Company, where the flames spread rapidly to several nearby fishing boats.
Hot weather and strong southerly winds intensified the blaze. Most of the vessels were built of wood and carried fuel on board, allowing the fire to spread quickly.
By about 8.40 pm, seven fishing boats measuring more than 20 metres in length had been destroyed, while several other vessels remained at risk.
Local residents said many of the affected boats belonged to owners who were away when the fire broke out. Low tide at the time also made it difficult to move vessels out of danger. Most of the damaged boats were high-value tuna fishing vessels, with preliminary losses estimated at tens of billions of Vietnamese dong.
At least seven fishing boats were completely destroyed in the fire (Photo: Cong Son).
The latest incident comes less than two weeks after another serious boat fire. On June 29, a blaze at an informal anchorage on Thi Nai Lagoon in Tuy Phuoc Dong Commune destroyed or damaged 16 fishing boats. Twelve vessels were completely destroyed and four suffered partial damage. Preliminary losses were estimated at more than VND 15 billion (about USD 575,000).
Following that fire, Gia Lai Province People's Committee chairman Pham Anh Tuan approved emergency assistance for affected families, including 15kg of rice per person each month and financial support of VND 3 million (about USD 115) per boat owner each month for three months to help fishermen recover from their initial losses.