A fisherman suffered severe burns after a boat explosion in Ras Al Khaimah. The Indian worker was one of two men on the vessel when the blaze broke out at Shaam port at about 5.30am on Monday. The fire is believed to have been caused by a leak when the fuel tank was being refilled. The injured man, who is believed to be in his 30s, was taken to Saqr Hospital and subsequently underwent surgery after suffering burns to both legs. The two fishermen work under Captain Abdullah Al Bahar, a 66-year-old Emirati fisherman from the Al Jeer area of the emirate. “We don’t have a petrol station at Al Jeer port so we use the one in Shaam,” said Mr Al Bahar. "The boat owner is my cousin, and he asked if my workers can take his boat to Shaam post petrol station to refill the fuel tank in order to go on a fishing trip after Iftar and I sent them to help him," he said. "The fire broke out after refilling the tank, so it's most probable that some fuel drops has dripped on the battery and started the fire," he said. Firefighters were called into action managed to control the blaze. “Fishermen at the port tried to put down the fire but it was hard to control using the regular fire extinguishers but firefighters managed to control it using foam,” said Mr Al Bahar. The fishing boat owner said that the boat's motor is considered new as he bought it less than a year ago. "The boat has one engine only and it is not an old one but accidents happen," said Waleed Al Bahar, 44. “We are waiting for the experts to come and investigate the accident to find out what exactly caused the fire. “The injured worker will be transferred from Saqr Hospital to Al Mafraq Hospital in Abu Dhabi to receive more specialised treatment and we all hope that he will get better soon. “The boat has been completely damaged beyond repair and all the fishing tools were destroyed too in the fire.” Khalifa Al Mehairi, chairman of RAK Fishermen Association, said that an electrical fault and fuel leak may have caused the fire. “Such accidents can happen during the hot weather and due to poor boat maintenance,” said Mr Al Mehairi, “We always advise boat captains and fishermen to perform regular maintenance checkups on their boats and engines to avoid similar incidents.”
