After two days of firefighting, a cargo fire in the holds of a freighter at a port in the Canary Islands has finally been brought under control, and first responders have covered the bulk cargo with foam to prevent a reflash.
At about 1630 hours local time on Monday, a fire broke out aboard the bulker Langeland at the port of Arinaga, an industrial terminal on the west side of Gran Canaria. The ship was loading a cargo of scrap metal at the time, and the fire started in the hold. According to local media, the crew attempted to close the hatches and use the vessel's fixed firefighting system, but the electrical hatch actuation system had already burned out and the hold could not be closed.
The majority of the crew evacuated the vessel, and local fire crews arrived to help the remaining seafarers combat the blaze. The port temporarily suspended operations and moved another nearby ship to a different berth as a precautionary measure.
Gran Canaria's firefighting forces brought a ladder truck to the scene and applied water from the shore. However, operations were paused late that night, as the responders did not want to jeopardize the ship's stability by adding too much firefighting water.
The fire died down overnight, but on Tuesday morning it picked up again, sending thick black smoke downwind away from the port. Firefighters resumed work with a combination of water and foam, supported from the water side by the fire monitors of a tugboat.
While the situation appeared dramatic, Las Palmas Maritime Authority chief Ignacio Gallego Carro told local media that the blaze was not a serious risk to the public. At about 1800 hours local time, the fire was brought under control at last.
An investigation into the cause of the blaze is under way, but local authorities suspect that the cargo self-ignited during loading, as occasionally happens with bulk scrap metal. The commodity is often contaminated with flammable materials, including some that are capable of igniting a fire, like damaged lithium-ion batteries.
Last month, a major fire broke out at a nearby scrap metal storage yard in the same industrial complex at Arinaga.
Langeland is a 5,000 dwt freighter flagged in Portugal and owned in Germany. She just entered service six months ago, in late May.
