Early this morning, just before 5:30 a.m., emergency services in Húsavík were called to respond to a fire onboard a small fishing vessel north of Tjörnes on Skjálfandi Bay. According to a statement from the Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue Landsbjörg, the blaze began in the wheelhouse. Four crew members were on board at the time. They immediately reported the fire and began efforts to contain it. Shortly afterward, they informed authorities that the flames appeared to have been extinguished, and the boat was making its way slowly toward Húsavík under its own power.
The rescue vessel Villi Páls departed Húsavík with five firefighters onboard. Additional support came from the rescue ships Gunnbjörg from Raufarhöfn and Sigurvin from Siglufjörður, along with the vessel Flatey ÞH, which carried further equipment and three more firefighters.
At around 5:45 a.m., Villi Páls reached the fishing boat, and firefighters boarded to assess the situation. They found no active fire and no abnormal heat. With the danger resolved, Gunnbjörg and Sigurvin were sent back to their home ports. Villi Páls and Flatey ÞH then escorted the fishing boat safely into Húsavík harbour, arriving around 8:30 a.m.
No injuries were reported, and conditions on the bay were calm at the time of the incident. RÚV reports that all immediate danger is now over.
