Fire Damages Three Tuna Fishing Vessels at GenSan Compound

Photo Courtesy of Julius Gensan

Three tuna fishing vessels were heavily damaged after a swift, mid-afternoon fire tore through a private maritime compound in General Santos City on Wednesday, July 1, 2026.

The incident, which broke out inside the MGTR Compound in Barangay Tambler, caused a massive plume of dark smoke visible from nearby coastal villages before emergency responders brought the situation under control.

Rapidly Spreading Flames

According to reports from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) General Santos City Station, the emergency call was logged at exactly 2:19 PM. Witnesses and compound laborers noted that the fire initially erupted from the kitchen galley of one of the docked tuna fishing vessels.

Fueled by strong sea breezes and stored fuel supplies onboard, the flames rapidly escalated and jumped to two adjacent ships moored tightly nearby. Compound workers acted quickly to decouple and move other nearby company ships out of harm's way, averting a much larger maritime disaster.

Swift Fire Response

Firefighting units rushed to the scene to combat the blaze. Under the operational leadership of Acting City Fire Marshal FSupt. Marleap Nabor, marine and ground crews established a defensive perimeter to suppress the flames from spreading deeper into the fishing compound.

Through coordinated efforts, the BFP declared the situation "under control" and officially achieved a "fire out" status at 3:18 PM, successfully containing the damage within an hour of the initial alarm.

Casualties and Damage Assessment

The BFP confirmed that no injuries or fatalities were reported among the ship crews, compound workers, or responding emergency personnel.

Arson investigators are currently conducting a thorough investigation to confirm the precise catalyst behind the galley fire. While the three ships sustained severe hull and upper-deck structural damage, local authorities are still assessing the total monetary value of the property losses.