Smoke pours from the Sok Kwu Wan pier pontoon in Aberdeen this afternoon (photo: Marcus Langston)

A fireboat joined a breathing team to tackle the blaze (photo: Marcus Langston)

A faulty toilet fan which broke free of its housing caused a blaze on a pier pontoon in Aberdeen this afternoon, minutes before the busy Sok Kwu Wan ferry was due to berth.

According to Wu Kwok-kwong, general manager of operator Chuen Kee Ferry, the fan broke free of its housing and smashed into an electrical switchbox, causing a short-circuit which started the fire. With smoke pouring from the pontoon, the ferry diverted to the nearby Jumbo Pier, which served the now-closed Jumbo Floating Restaurant.

Fire crews used breathing apparatus and a fireboat to quench the blaze, and reported no casualties.

Ferry services are now back to normal, according to Wu.

The Aberdeen pier serves two destinations on Lamma Island: the southwestern village of Sok Kwu Wan, popular with daytrippers and restaurant-goers and with the island’s second largest pier, and the southern hamlet of Mo Tat Wan.

Additional reporting by Chan Koon Sing

Fire crews check the pier after the blaze was extinguished