An inferno broke out this afternoon on the Icon of the Seas when the Royal Caribbean cruise vessel was berthed in Costa Maya, Mexico.
In line with expectations, the cruise company swiftly issued the typical statements: (1) the blaze was “minor,” (2) led to a “brief” power outage, and (3) was “rapidly put out.” Luckily, there have been no mentions of any harm to passengers or staff members.
The renowned Cruise Radio discloses that “electricity failed throughout the vessel, affecting elevators, air conditioning, service stations, and cabins.”
A Royal Caribbean representative communicated via phone to Cruise Radio and addressed all the usual public relations aspects, mentioning that “a small blaze took place on the Icon of the Seas on Tuesday. The fire was promptly extinguished, and the vessel also encountered a momentary power loss.”
A public relations notification was also circulated on the cruise liner expressing: “An incident has transpired on Icon of the Seas on the lower decks, non-technical sections. Our highly skilled crew members are handling the present situation . . .”
It piques interest that the “Only In Dade” website asserts, “according to one of the passengers, there was a loud burst . . . ” I wonder what precisely that was about?
This marks the second power failure of the Icon of the Seas with the initial happening on May 19th, as per Cruise Hive and Cruise Radio.
If you are present on the Icon of the Seas, either as a guest or staff member, and possess details about the blaze or visuals of the firefighting team responding to the event, kindly reach out to us.
If you hold any remarks or queries, please engage in the dialogue on our Facebook page.
June 26, 2024 Update: Crew Center conveys that according to an undisclosed source, the inferno was “in the engine room.” Additionally, “shortly after the initial occurrence, a second emergency was declared with an Alpha code for a medical urgency at the stern gangway. Several passengers on board the Icon of the Seas mentioned that the initial emergency calls were for the forward engine rooms . . . ”
The majority of the “reports’ from the familiar newspapers feature exaggerated, sensationalized nothing-to-see-here encouragement, with almost no factual information, like this: “There were ‘no injuries‘ and the ‘minor blaze‘ – which was ‘confined to a crew area‘ – was ‘swiftly extinguished.’ The ship’s reserve power was ‘activated promptly,’ and the principal power systems were restored.” https://www.usatoday.com/…/royal-caribbean…/74214662007/
Image credit: Icon of the Seas – Chakie2 CC BY-SA 4.0 commons / wikimedia; fire team on cruise ship descending stairs – Only In Dade.
