- Firefighters battling fire onboard vessel were injured following an explosion.
- Eight firefighters were injured in the explosion, and an additional firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion.
- The fire started on the seventh deck of the ship and loaded with automobiles.
- An oil spill response team was being brought in by Resolve Marine.
According to an article published in News4jax, firefighters battling fire onboard vessel were injured following an explosion.
What happened?
Around, 120 JFRD personnel brought in to the battle fire, chief says. While battling a large fire aboard a cargo ship at Blount Island, the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department said an explosion occurred, injuring firefighters.
According to Fire Chief Keith Powers, eight firefighters were injured in the explosion, and an additional firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion. During a news briefing at 10:15 p.m., Powers said the eight firefighters hurt in the blast were in stable condition.
“It’s a tough situation and very dangerous — that’s one of the most dangerous situations firefighters encounter is when they’re in a ship fire,” Powers said.
Crews fighting to control fire
Crews with the U.S. Coast Guard were seen in the river late at night spraying the ship with water along the exterior of the hull.
According to Powers, the fire started on the seventh deck of the ship. Approximately 120 JFRD personnel were sent to battle the initial fire. The ship was loaded with automobiles.
Firefighters closed the ship’s dampers to starve the fire of oxygen. At about 6:45 p.m., the explosion that injured the firefighters occurred.
Fighting to contain the fire and protect the environment
Captain Mark Vlaun with the U.S. Coast Guard said the number one goal for crews throughout the night was to maintain the structural integrity of the ship.
“The effort really remains, one, of trying to protect the environment and to control and contain the fire as best we can to ensure that we don’t lose the structural integrity and risk having any pollution out in the water,” Vlaun said.
Oil spill response team to analyze the situation
According to Vlaun, an oil spill response team was being brought in by Resolve Marine.
“They’ll be putting an oil boom around the vessel to contain the threat of any pollution,” he said. “At this point, we do not have any pollution from or spill associated with this fire, but out of caution, we are going to begin booming the vessel, so that if there is any pollution at any point that we’ll be able to contain that spill.”
The injured firefighters were not identified.
- Four were taken to a burn unit in Gainesville
- One was undergoing surgery
- One was in an intensive care unit
- Two were on the trauma floor at UF Health
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Source: News4jax
