A fire broke out in one of two engine rooms onboard Royal Caribbean International's Splendour of the Seas about 8 a.m. on Thursday, while the ship was sailing to Argostoli, Greece. The ship's fire suppression system extinguished the blaze. It was necessary to evacuate some guests from their stateroom "in an abundance of caution," according to a statement from the cruise line.
#SplendourOfTheSeas fire update: Ship is skipping Argostoli. 1 guest & 19 crew members treated for smoke inhalation https://t.co/XWSJNWd8BE
— Royal Caribbean Blog (@theRCLblog) October 22, 2015
Guests on the ship who provided first-hand feedback to CruiseCritic.com and CruiseLawNews.com reported a strong smell of smoke and burning plastic/rubber smell in cabins and lower decks. As a precaution, passengers on several lower decks apparently were called to their muster stations.
Consumer advocate Clark Howard was onboard and told WSB radio colleagues that the engine fire lasted just under two hours, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
The line has said all systems onboard are functional. Splendour of the Seas is sailing under its own power to Venice, as the Argostoli call was cancelled. However, several guests have said propulsion is slower than normal.
The ship is currently on a seven-night sailing that departed Venice, Italy, on Saturday, October 17, and includes port calls to Kotor, Montenegro; Corfu, Greece; Athens, Greece; Mykonos, Greece; and Argostoli, Greece.