Some 236 passengers have been rescued from a fire on board a combined freight and passenger ferry in the Baltic Sea en route from Kiel in Germany to Klaipeda in Lithuania.

Notification of the fire on the Lisco Gloria came shortly after midnight on Saturday morning. Passengers were evacuated by lifeboats and 23 were treated for injuries, with three airlifted to hospital. None of the injuries are thought to be life threatening.

The fire destroyed almost all of the vessel’s upper decks, with one report claiming 180 vehicles having been lost.

Crews on German and Danish firefighting ships tackled the blaze – which is believed to have started in a truck on the upper deck – for more than two days. Efforts were hampered by the severity of the fire and the risk of the ship listing and capsizing if too much water was used.

The Lisco Gloria is registered in Lithuania and is owned by DFDS Lisco, a Lithuanian subsidiary of Danish headquartered DFDS.

Speaking to Info4fire.com, DFDS vice president Gert Jakobsen confirmed that all appropriate fixed fire suppression systems were installed on the ship. “The crew and rescuers did a fantastic job evacuating the passengers. We are also very grateful to the German authorities for their support with medical and psychological treatment teams.”

An investigation into the fire has been launched.