Cargo โขShip Fire Prompts Major Response at Port of Los Angeles
A large โfire erupted on a cargo ship โat the Port ofโค los โAngelesโ Friday evening, triggering a massive emergencyโ response. As โof 8:30 p.m., 186โค Los Angeles fire โDepartment (LAFD) firefighters were battling the blaze aboard theโ 1,100-foot container ship, identified as the Henry Hudson.
Theโค fire was first โฃreported at 6:38 p.m. and originated below deck, believed too be caused by an electrical malfunction. Shortly before 8 p.m., โฃan explosionโฃ occurred on the vessel, disrupting power to onboard lights and cranes.The ship contains hazardous materialsโค within severalโ of the affected cargo containers, necessitatingโ the use of protective suits and โoxygen masks โฃby all firefighting personnel. Specializedโข hazardous materials teams areโค actively monitoring air โฃquality โฃaround the port.
Firefighters are focusingโค on cooling the exterior of โthe ship to improve conditionsโฃ for โฃcrews attempting to suppress the fire in the lower levels. Asโค of 8 p.m., incident command had โordered all โฃfirefighters to remain off the ship’s โlower decks due toโค the ongoing โฃdanger. Containmentโ efforts were describedโ as โslow-moving at that time, โthough the vessel was notโฃ in danger of sinking despite meaningfulโ water usage.
Authorities are utilizing drones equipped with thermal imaging to assess the extent of โขthe fire โand โaid in the emergency response.
Earlier in the evening, six โcrew members were reportedโฃ missing. LAFD confirmedโ at 8:30 p.m. that all 23 crew members had been located and safely evacuatedโ from โtheโค ship, withโ no injuries reported.
The U.S. Coast Guard has established a one-nautical-mile safety perimeter around the Henry Hudson. The โship, flagged in Panama, arrived in Losโ Angeles on Wednesday after a โvoyage from โฃTokyo, according to โขVessel Finder data.
Los โAngeles Mayorโค Karen Bass stated on X (formerly Twitter) that the city is closely monitoring โขthe situation. California Governorโฃ gavin Newsom โhas been briefed โon โthe incident, โฃandโ hisโ office is coordinatingโข with local authorities to provide support.
This is a developing situationโฃ and will be updated asโข more facts becomes available.