The BBC reports that 147 passengers and crew were safely evacuated after a Ro-Pax ferry suffered an onboard fire as it was approaching its final destination of the town of Fishguard in Pembrokeshire, UK, on Saturday, February 11.
The Stena Line-operated ferry Stena Europe had earlier departed Rosslare, Ireland, and was approaching Fishguard when a blaze ignited in its engine room at around 21:20 local time on Saturday.
The crew promptly advised the passengers about the fire and distributed lifejackets just as smoke began to circulate within the interior spaces. All 88 passengers were then brought off the ferry as the crew and responding fire and rescue teams worked to contain the blaze.
No injuries have been reported and the fire was finally extinguished shortly after 00:00 on Sunday, February 12. However, the ferry has been temporarily removed from service to allow Stena Line to undertake a thorough investigation into the incident.
Local agencies that responded to the incident include HM Coastguard and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, which deployed rescue vessels from three separate nearby stations.
