Every ship has emergency generators installed away from the main engine room. These are usuallly smaller generators that are used to supply emergeny lighting, power for air compressors (Compressed air is used to start the generators and large main engines), one SW cooling pump, one FW cooling pump - those things needed to get the electric plant up and running again. They usually also provide power to at least one fire pump and one bilge pump. Emergency generators can usually be “fed-back” or connected to the main electric bus.
My guess is that the fire destroyed the electric switch board and/or melted most of the wiring so none of the pumps/motors can be started. You have to figure most - if not all - of the engine department was fighting the fire and are probably exhausted. They would be fighting the fire since they would know the engine room best.
If they are being towed 90 miles to port, they most likely are not worried about toilets. They are most worried about sea worthiness. A lot of ships are built with cheap butterfly valves now adays. I wonder if the heat could have destroyed any of the rubber valve seats or melted gaskets on the plate coolers and causing water to enter some how. Not to mention needing to get rid of the water they used to put the fire out (unless they used the CO2 flooding system).
Whatever the cause, by putting the fire out, they saved a lot of lives and that needs to be remembered.
Also, without being on scene it it hard to tell what happened. Just a slightly educated guess.
postscript...never book an inside cabin...get a cabin with a balcony.
Also, without being on scene it it hard to tell what happened.
Roger that.