GFRS extinguishes blaze at North Mole

A residual oil spill is believed to have caused a fire on a decommissioned vessel at North Mole on Tuesday, the Gibraltar Fire and Rescue Service has said. 

Three fire appliances were dispatched after thick black plumes could be seen from the area of North Mole at around 11am on Tuesday. 

Salvage works on an open compartment of a decommissioned barge resulted in a residual oil spill which started the blaze, a spokesperson for the GFRS said. 

The fire took between seven to eight minutes to extinguish, with GFRS personnel arriving at the scene within four minutes of the fire being reported, the spokesperson added. 

The Royal Gibraltar Police assisted the GFRS at the scene. 

“RGP have assisted their GFRS colleagues with evacuating people from porta cabins in the immediate area,” a spokesperson for the RGP said. 

There are no reported injuries at this stage. 

In a statement, the Gibraltar Government said: “The Captain of the Port has advised that all subsequent works to the vessel have been stopped pending the outcome of an investigation.”