Fire on 5,200-Passenger Cruise Ship; Captain Praises Crew in Response

A small fireplace on the second largest cruise ship within the P&O Cruises fleet was shortly extinguished by the crew, with no accidents reported.

The incident which occurred on the 5,200-passenger (double capability) vessel Iona, seems to have been an oil fireplace in a galley on Deck 5.  The fireplace precipitated a brief disruption however didn’t require an evacuation of passengers.

Social media studies state that the crew had been instructed to report back to their muster stations on the 184,000 gross ton ship.

In response to a firsthand account from a passenger on Reddit, a collection of bulletins had been made, with the state of affairs escalating from a necessity for a primary support workforce to a bigger response.

The crew was ultimately despatched to their muster stations, however passengers weren’t required to take action. The captain later praised the crew’s response, which one Reddit person described as “rock stable.”

Passengers within the rapid neighborhood of the fireplace had been requested to briefly depart their cabins as a precaution.

One Reddit person, who was on Deck 5, recalled, “I truly opened our door not lengthy after the announcement to see a load of absolutely kitted firemen working down the hall…” The passenger’s younger youngsters had been somewhat “upset due to all of the alarms,” however had been superb as soon as the all-clear was given.

The small fireplace resulted in a number of eating places being shut down briefly, notably on Deck 6.

Cleanup crews had been seen working within the impacted space, which smelled of burning oil. However fortunately, the state of affairs was resolved shortly, with one other Reddit person later confirming, “The whole lot is again open once more.”

The potential for a fireplace is the most important concern for the crew on a cruise ship, and even a small fireplace is handled very severely.  On this case, the crew responded in a short time.

One other social media remark emphasised this level: “Listening to these responses exhibits the advantage of the incessant crew drills and security coaching.”

One other passenger famous that the crew had satirically performed a number of fireplace drills simply the day earlier than the incident.

P&O’s Iona is an Excellence-class cruise ship that was laucnhed in August 2021. On the time of its launch, it was the most important ship ever constructed for the P&O cruise line.

The ship sails out of its dwelling port of Southampton, UK, and is presently on a 7-day, round-trip Norwegian Fjords crusing that started on August 23, 2025, and is scheduled to finish on August 30, 2025.