A Micronesian sailor who was killed Saturday night in a fire on a commercial fishing boat had been drinking and cooking, then fell asleep, the boat's captain said yesterday.

Coast Guard and Honolulu fire investigators determined that the cause of the fire, reported at 10:15 p.m. Saturday, was a small propane stove in the crew's living quarters behind the wheelhouse of the 75-foot commercial fishing vessel Manaloa, Honolulu fire Capt. Earl Kealohoa said yesterday.

The Manaloa was docked at Pier 38 when the fire broke out.

The Honolulu Medical Examiner's Office had not identified the man yesterday, but said he appeared to be in his 30s and was a Micronesian crewman aboard the Manaloa.

Capt. Cho Hui Jae, the tuna boat's owner, and crew member Seok Kim identified the cook as Ioanis Araisang of Pohnpei.

They were at the vessel yesterday morning surveying the damage and said Araisang had been drinking and cooking, then fell asleep without turning off the propane stove.

The fire was put out at 11:08 p.m., and firefighters found the cook's body in a space below the wheelhouse, just forward of the Manaloa's engine room.

Damage to the Manaloa was estimated at $120,000. The main deck area suffered most of the damage, Kealoha said.

Capt. Jae said a recent catch of 20,000 pounds of tuna stored in the hold of the vessel was saved. He said the Manaloa is his only tuna boat.

Joe Dettling's tuna boat, the Double D, homeported in Kailua Kona, was docked about 100 feet from the Manaloa.

"I was working on my laptop sending an e-mail to a fishery scientist when I saw the flames and heard a popping sound," Dettling said.

The flames quickly engulfed the Manaloa's wheelhouse, and the heat was intense, Dettling said.

"It was so hot on the rear deck of my boat that I was afraid it would singe my face," Dettling said.

He dialed 911, but the operator told him that several people had already called.

Dettling said he knew someone was aboard the Manaloa because other crewmen were yelling: "Get off! Get off the boat! It will explode and kill you!"

"Iwatched two guys try to get aboard and pull someone off, try to save him, but the flames were too hot," Dettling said. "My heart was pounding. I was afraid of an explosion and was getting ready to move my boat when I saw the (fire) engines coming around the corner."

Lonnie Fiero, chief engineer of the Astara, a tuna boat across from the Double D, said the fire woke him up.

"Boat fires are always bad," he said. "There's always the danger of an explosion, especially from propane tanks."