The fire on board Vincenzo Florio

摘要

A fire occurred on the ro-ro ferry, Vincenzo Florio, on route between Naples on the Italian mainland and Palermo in Sicily, on 29 May 2009. The fire started on one of the ro-ro decks at 03:16, when the ship was only 40km from Palermo. The cause of the fire is uncertain, but is thought probably to have started either in a private car or in a refrigerator unit on a goods vehicle. The crew attempted to extinguish the fire manually, but despite their efforts the fire spread to the extent that, at six in the morning, the captain took the decision to evacuate all 526 passengers.