Fire breaks out at fish farm off Lorong Halus Jetty
The Fish Farmers Association of Singapore said at least two fish farms rearing sea bass were affected by the blaze, which broke out at about 8pm on Wednesday.
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SINGAPORE: A large-scale firefighting operation took place off Lorong Halus Jetty for more than three hours on Wednesday (Jun 24) night after a blaze broke out at a floating fish farm.
The Fish Farmers Association of Singapore (FFAS) said at least two fish farms rearing sea bass were affected by the fire.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to a fire on a floating fish farm near Pulau Ubin and Pulau Ketam at about 8.10pm.
The fire, which involved a section of the farm, was extinguished by marine vessels from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore and Airport Emergency Service, said SCDF.
"Members of the public from neighbouring fish farms had also rendered assistance to contain the fire," SCDF added.
There were no reported injuries, and the cause of the fire is under investigation, SCDF said.
Videos of the incident seen by CNA showed police patrol boats and other authorities at the scene.
A boat was also seen extinguishing remnants of a fire.
Mr Danny Chua, the owner of Ketam Island Fisheries, the main fish farm affected by the fire, told CNA that he estimates his total losses to be around S$120,000 (US$92,500), excluding rebuilding costs.
He estimated that about 5 per cent of his fish, valued at S$10,000, swam away as the nets were partially melted and submerged in water.
Two of the farm's sheds containing fish food and equipment burned down, he said, adding that he plans to rebuild one of them at an estimated cost of about S$50,000 to S$60,000.
The farm supplies fish to restaurants and small eateries, and Mr Chua estimated that he still has enough fish to last for a few months.
On the possible cause of the fire, Mr Chua said he suspects that lightning had struck solar panels on his farm and started the blaze.
He added that he had installed lightning rods on the farm and is unsure about other preventive measures he can put in place.
Earlier, FFAS said that the affected farms are facing substantial financial losses.
"The owners were present. I met them, and they were distraught," said the association's president, Mr Daniel Tay.
He said that floating fish farms in Singapore's waters usually rear high-value fish such as sea bass, snappers and groupers, and that many of the farms' cages had been destroyed.
Fish would have escaped, and parts of the farms may be unusable as a result of this, Mr Tay added.
CNA understands that police officers did not allow the farms' owners near the scene as they needed to secure the area.
The Singapore Food Agency said it is aware of the incident and will work closely with the SCDF to assist those affected by it.
Additional reporting by Natalie Ong.
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