A fire broke out onboard a 20-metre motor yacht berthed in Gouvia Marina, Corfu, around 4 pm on 7 September and quickly spread, engulfing three neighbouring yachts in flames.

As reported by the regional commander of the Ionian Islands, chief captain Dimitris Georganas who was present at the fire extinguishing operation, “the fire spread rapidly to the neighbouring boats, as a light wind was blowing, but also because of the flammable materials of the boats, while in terms of containment, the Port Authority of Corfu, as well as the staff of the Gouvia marina, contributed to its extinguishing.”

According to a Twitter user, “following the fire there was an explosion” and the fire has since spread rapidly. Local news outlets reported that a large force of firefighters on the scene, with five fire engines, helped put out the flames and managed to move the boats to prevent the fire from spreading further.

The cause of the fire is still unknown and there have been no reported casualties.

The marina of Gouvia is one of the largest in Greece, as it has a capacity of 960 boats, with fixed and floating piers.

The towing vessel “Ioannis” was also involved in the operation, while reports say that more than 15 vessels that were docked at a short distance from the burning vessels were removed.

Preventive floating dams have already been installed in the marina area to protect against marine pollution after the incident.