21 injured in fireplace aboard ship at Naval Base San Diego

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Firefighters on land, in the air and on the h2o on Monday were being nevertheless battling a blaze on a Navy ship that wounded at least 21 persons and despatched smoke billowing about San Diego.

The fire started Sunday early morning in a vehicle storage region aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard, according to Rear Adm. Philip Sobeck, who said 17 sailors and 4 other people, like firefighters, were being handled at hospitals for smoke inhalation or other minor injuries.

It was proving to be a stubborn blaze to put out, requiring helicopters dumping water from previously mentioned, firefighting vessels shooting seawater and fire trucks pounding water by hoses from the dock. Sobeck explained to the San Diego Union-Tribune that there was no ordnance on board, and while the ship holds a million gallons of gasoline, that is “well below” any heat supply.

About 160 sailors and officers had been on board when an explosion and flames despatched up a enormous plume of dim smoke from the 840-foot (255-meter) amphibious assault vessel, which has been docked at Naval Base San Diego and was undergoing routine upkeep. That’s much fewer than the thousand ordinarily on the ship when it’s on energetic duty, mentioned Mike Raney, a spokesman for Naval Area Drive, U.S. Pacific Fleet.

Sobeck, commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 3, explained to the Union-Tribune that the Navy thinks the fireplace commenced somewhere in a decreased cargo hold in which marine gear and vehicles are saved.

The fire was not a fueled by gas oil, dangerous supplies or electrical causes, Sobeck advised the newspaper. It was fueled by paper, cloth, rags or other materials in a typical hearth. He said he is not involved about the air high quality or toxicity all over the hearth.

The explosion was most likely brought on by a adjust in air tension, he explained to the Union-Tribune.

All crew customers ended up accounted for, reported Admiral Mike Gilday, Chief of Naval Operations.

“We are grateful for the swift and instant reaction of neighborhood, base, and shipboard firefighters aboard USS Bonhomme Richard,” Gilday stated in a assertion.

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The 23-year-aged ship has the capacity to deploy and land helicopters, smaller sized boats and amphibious automobiles. Mainly because of its age, a fireplace could be significantly damaging, in particular if it achieved the engine place and other tight areas with equipment, said Lawrence B. Brennan, a professor of admiralty and worldwide maritime law at Fordham College in New York.

“The warmth of a fireplace of this character can warp the steel, and that can be a important difficulty for any ship,” stated Brennan. “On an more mature ship, it’s even far more of a problem.”

Two other docked ships, USS Fitzgerald and USS Russell, were being moved to berths absent from the hearth, officers mentioned.