A fire broke out on a fishing boat off Gunsan, South Korea, on Thursday, 5 November 2026. All eight people on board are safe. Nobody was hurt.
The boat is a small fishing boat of about 24 tonnes. It was fishing near Sibidongpado, a small island in the sea west of Gunsan, in North Jeolla province. The fire started at about 10:10 in the morning, local time.
What happened
The Gunsan Coast Guard got the report and sent patrol ships to the boat. CBS NoCut News reports that six patrol ships went to the area. Yonhap News TV says the boat was about 7 km west of the island.
There were eight crew on board, including the captain. All of them were wearing lifejackets, the coast guard said. Because of this, nobody was injured.
The coast guard moved seven crew to a patrol ship. The captain stayed on his boat. He helped the coast guard fight the fire.
The coast guard believes the fire started inside the engine room. It will check the cause and the damage after the fire is out. In the latest reports, in the early afternoon local time, the crews were still fighting the fire. The coast guard has not given the name of the boat or the crew.
Why the lifejackets mattered
A fire on a small boat can spread fast. The crew may have to jump into the sea or into a liferaft with no warning. A person who already wears a lifejacket floats, even if they are hurt or very cold.
Earlier this week, another Korean fishing boat ran onto rocks at night. Read how the coast guard rescued two fishermen off Goseong. Fires in machinery and service spaces are also a risk on big ships. Read the lessons from a laundry fire that destroyed a chemical tanker.
What fishermen and small-boat crews can do
Wear a lifejacket on deck all the time, not only in bad weather. On this boat, all eight crew wore one, and nobody was hurt.
Call for help early. In South Korea, call 119 for any accident at sea. On VHF radio, use channel 16. Say "Mayday" three times, then give the boat's name, your position and how many people are on board.
If a fire starts in the engine room, get everyone out first. Do not go back in alone.
If it is safe, stop the engine and close the fuel supply. Close doors, hatches and air vents to the engine room. A fire needs air and fuel to keep burning.
Know where the fire extinguishers are. Check them before each trip. Practise what each person does in a fire.
Keep the engine room clean. Fix fuel and oil leaks, and do not leave oily rags near hot engine parts.
Have the liferaft ready and know how to launch it. Decide early when to leave the boat.
Tell your family or the harbour where you will fish and when you plan to come back.
Find emergency numbers and help lines for seafarers in Crewboard's useful links.
Cover photo: A Korea Coast Guard patrol ship, number 3006, at sea with the US Coast Guard cutter Boutwell in August 2007. Illustrative photo, not a ship from this rescue. Photo: Lt. Cmdr. Louie Parks, U.S. Coast Guard/Wikimedia Commons, public domain (cropped).
Sources: Yonhap: Fire on a fishing boat off Sibidongpado, Gunsan; all 8 crew rescued (5 Nov 2026, Korean), News1: Fire on a fishing boat at sea off Sibidongpado, Gunsan; no casualties (5 Nov 2026, Korean), CBS NoCut News: Fire on a 24-tonne fishing boat; no casualties (5 Nov 2026, Korean), Yonhap News TV: Fishing boat fire near Sibidongpado, Gunsan; no casualties (5 Nov 2026, Korean), Korea.kr (Korean government policy news): Emergency numbers 119, 112 and 110; sea accidents now reported to 119 (Korean).
How we choose, write and correct our articles: editorial policy.
