A pump boat operated by the Bantay Dagat (sea patrol) of Alcoy town caught fire while at sea off Tingko Beach in Barangay Daanlungsod on Sunday morning, April 26, 2026.
According to investigation, the incident occurred at 7:13 a.m. The Bantay Dagat personnel had started the engine of the pump boat for their seaborne patrol when fire suddenly erupted.
Police Chief Master Sgt. Alan Sanoy immediately coordinated with the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) of the town to assist in the incident. However, firefighters struggled to extinguish the blaze because the boat was already at sea and out of reach of water from their fire truck.
Given the urgent situation, boat operator Jefrey Ornada, together with his fellow Bantay Dagat members, swam out to manually push the burning pump boat closer to the shore where firefighters were waiting.
With the boat near the coast, the BFP was able to spray water and completely extinguish the fire. Investigation revealed that the entire engine area of the vessel was gutted.
The cause of the fire was an overflowing carburetor that resulted in fuel leakage. Estimated damage from the fire is around P50,000. No injuries were reported in the incident.
