C6/2002M MS CINDERELLA, Fire in Nightclub on 8.3.2002

On a cruise between Tallinn, Estonia and Helsinki, Finland a fire broke out in the night club of passenger car ferry CINDERELLA. In the early morning hours at 02:30, there were many passengers in the night club. The fire was noticed soon because of the flames and smoke, but the exact position of ignition was not discovered. The stage curtain which was used in the fire fighting caught fire and the fire escalated. The night club was filled with smoke.

With the fast fire fighting by the crew the fire was extinguished in an half hour. There were no personal injuries but the passengers were evacuated from the night club and the cabins above and below the night club. The evacuation went smoothly and the passengers stayed calm.

The stage area was badly damaged by the fire and some areas below the night club were damaged by the water used in fire fighting. The vessel arrived to Helsinki before her scheduled time. After damage control, repair and investigation CINDERELLA got a permission to continue her cruise program within the scheduled time table.

The fire had started in a clavilux rack due to over heating. No single cause to over heating could be defined.

The investigators do not address any specific recommendations but do want to highlight some important views to guarantee a high standard on fire safety on board.

C6/2002M Report (pdf, 0.79 Mt)