Hundreds of people on board a cruise ship have been forced to evacuate from their rooms after a fire broke out on board.
The blaze was detected on a balcony of P&O Cruise’s Pacific Adventure at 3.30am on Sunday off the NSW coast.
The fire was quickly extinguished, a spokesperson said, however the extent of the damage has yet to be determined.
“This fire activated our emergency response procedures including a full muster of guests and crew and we thank everyone on board for their co-operation,” the spokesperson said.
“There are no reports of injury.”
The spokesperson said the damage appeared to be contained to one cabin.
The ship is currently off the New South Wales coast and is scheduled to return to Sydney on Tuesday.
P&O Cruises Australia confirmed the fire was extinguished shortly after it was detected.
‘This fire activated our emergency response procedures including a full muster of guests and crew and we thank everyone on board for their co-operation,’ a statement read.
A passenger onboard the cruise ship told “Daily Mail” Australia that a cigarette was the cause of the fire.
‘Someone set the bed on fire with a cigarette,’ she said.
Guests were woken up by alarms and a voice-over in the middle of the night.
‘I thought I was dreaming because there was a voice-over,’ the passenger recalled.
‘But when it kept going off and then the alarms that’s when people realised it was getting serious.’
‘Everyone remained calm in the process. I felt sorry for the parents with the screaming children. They must of been frightened.’
The blaze was reportedly contained to a single cabin.
Guests were able to return to their rooms at about 5:20am after the fire was put out.
The extent of the damage to the ship is still being determined.
The passenger explained the mood onboard the ship was ‘tired but upbeat’ as staff reassured passengers.
‘Staff have been amazing,’ she said.
‘They have carried on like nothing has happened but giving lots of reassurance and positive vibes.’
The Pacific Adventure is in the middle of a three-day cruise in and out of Sydney.
The ship is scheduled to return to Sydney on Tuesday.
It’s understood there are 3,017 guests and 1,080 crew onboard.
