A fire that broke out this Saturday in the artisanal fishing area of the port of Manta, one of the main fishing ports on the Ecuadorian Pacific, has left at least 25 boats completely burnt and two seriously injured, according to national authorities.
The National Secretariat for Risk Management (SNGR) has indicated that the fire is already under control, although emergency services continue to be deployed at the scene to assist those affected, quantify the damage, and clarify the exact origin of the incident.
The first official data suggest that the disaster has affected 35 vessels, including artisanal boats and medium-sized fiberglass vessels, materials that favor the rapid spread of flames. The two injured people have severe burns and their condition continues to be evaluated by medical personnel.
The governor of Manabí, Aurora Valle, has denied that the fire is related to an attack or criminal gangs. "We rule out, in the first instance, that this was what many are trying to speculate and sow terror among citizens. It is not an attack; we see from the videos that the fire originated in a vessel," she stated in remarks reported by the newspaper 'El Universo'.
Along the same lines, the Police have indicated that initial investigations point to an accident during welding work on a vessel docked at the pier. According to this version, the fire would have started on that boat and spread to the rest after the mooring lines gave way due to the heat.
"As a consequence of the fire, the mooring lines broke loose, causing the vessel to move uncontrollably and facilitating the spread of flames to other adjacent vessels," the Police detailed in a statement.
According to the provisional assessment, material damages include 14 boats and 21 launches affected by the fire. The two injured individuals, who remain hospitalized with severe burns, were on board the vessel where the fire allegedly originated, the governor specified.
The magnitude of the incident has led to the activation of an inter-institutional technical committee in which the Prosecutor's Office, risk management agencies, local authorities, and emergency teams participate, with the aim of coordinating the response and gathering all available information.
Meanwhile, firefighters continue with operational work at the port and heavy machinery is being used to remove charred remains and facilitate the extraction of the affected vessels.
In parallel, the National Secretariat for Risk Management and the Ministry of Environment have launched an assessment to determine the possible environmental impact derived from the fire, whose economic losses have not yet been officially estimated.
Authorities have warned that the figures and the definitive scope of the damages are still in the verification phase and will be updated as investigations progress.