Fire breaks out on board cruise ship as thousands of passengers forced to evacuate their rooms

THOUSANDS of passengers were forced to evacuate their rooms after a fire broke out on board a cruise ship.

The blaze started on a balcony of the Pacific Adventure ship, off the New South Wales coast in Australia.

The ship’s passengers were called to evacuate their rooms at about 3.30am today, reported.

Footage showed the fire spreading as passengers watched in shock.

A spokesperson for P&O Cruises Australia said the blaze was quickly extinguished.

The cause of the fire has not been determined yet.

The statement read: “This fire activated our emergency response procedures including a full muster of guests and crew and we thank everyone on board for their cooperation.

“There are no reports of injury.

“The extent of the damage and the cause of the fire are yet to be fully determined and remain under investigation.”

It is estimated the ship which was in the middle of a three-day- cruise around Sydney, was carrying 3,017 guests and 1,080 crew and was scheduled to return on Tuesday.