Around 1 AM on 15/1, residents of My Tan village, Binh Son commune, discovered smoke and flames at the fishing boat anchorage on the Tra Bong river. Efforts by locals to extinguish the fire using available equipment were unsuccessful, leading them to call the fire and rescue police.

Police extinguishing the fire on a fishing boat at the scene. *Linh Pham*

Dozens of firefighters, along with border guards from Binh Thanh Border Post and local residents, quickly deployed to combat the blaze. However, the presence of numerous flammable materials and fishing gear on board made firefighting efforts challenging.

The fire almost completely destroyed the fishing boats. *Linh Pham*

Police focused on containing the fire to prevent its spread to dozens of nearby vessels. After approximately 5 hours, the fire was brought under control. Four fishing boats, each 18 to 20 meters long, belonging to fishermen from Binh Son and Van Tuong communes, sustained damage ranging from 20% to nearly total destruction. The cause of the incident is currently under investigation.

Linh Pham