A fire started in Bali’s Benoa harbor early on Sunday morning, burning three boats docked on the west side.
A security guard of PT. Jaya Kota Pelabuhan Benoa, across from where the fire started, said he immediately informed port police when he saw some smoke and flames while he was on duty on Sunday morning
“I saw thick smoke and fire coming from the ship, the Sanjaya 12. The fire was going out from the ship and quickly spreading,” security guard Aris, 38, told Tribun Bali.
A crew member of the Sanjaya 12, Edi, 26, said that the boat had just arrived in Bali from Surabaya, East Java to unload fish.
“When the engine died, I woke up because many were screaming ‘fire’. I saw smoke and flames coming from the engine room and the rear of the ship. The fire was huge,” Edi said.
Benoa Bay Port Police Commissioner Nyoman Gatra said the fire moved fast, spreading to two other ships near the Sanjaya 12.
Fire trucks arrived at the scene and had the fire completely extinguished by 6:30 am, according to Gatra.
The three boats are completely burnt and beyond repair at this point, Tribun reports.
Thankfully no one was reported injured (or worse) from the fire. Financial setbacks, however, seem to be pretty heavy. Losses from the Sanjaya 12 are estimated at more than Rp 100 million, while the other two ships are put at each Rp 50 million.
Police have set up a crime scene at the dock and are still investigating the cause of the fire.
“We still cannot conclude the cause, because forensics still need to examine it. It’s clear from witness statements though that the fire was first seen from the middle of the hull of the Sanjaya 12,” Gatra said.
Just a couple of months ago, in January 2017, three other boats caught fire in Benoa Harbor. All three were fishing vessels as well.
