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13-07-2020
SAN DIEGO (CALIFORNIA): At least seventeen sailors and four civilians were hospitalized after an explosion erupted during a roaring blaze aboard a military assault ship at Naval Base San Diego Sunday morning, according to Naval Surface Forces.
Plumes of smoke arose from USS Bonhomme Richard as firefighters battled the three-alarm blaze on the 3400 block on Senn Street at about 8:30 a.m. The vessel is an amphibious assault ship home-ported in San Diego, according to Krishna Jackson of Naval Base San Diego.
The ship had undergone a regular maintenance cycle before the fire was reported, Jackson said. Crew members typically are aboard the ship on weekends, but there are fewer than there are on weekdays. The fleet has a crew size of about 1,000 members.
Federal firefighters requested assistance from the San Diego Fire Department at about 9 a.m. All SDFD personnel has been accounted for but at least 17 firefighters have been transported to area hospitals for evaluations, the department said.
In-port ships have been contacted and directed to possibly assist with firefighting efforts, a Navy spokesperson said. As of 2:40 p.m., the fire continued to rage.
The injured sailors and civilians were hospitalized and treated for wounds that were described as non-life threatening according to Naval Surface Forces.
About 160 sailors were aboard the ship at the time of the fire and the entire crew was able to disembark; each sailor was later accounted for, Naval Surface Forces said.
Due to the severe smoke, National City urged its residents to remain indoors in order to keep safe.
Adm. Mike Gilday, Chief of Naval Operations, said the Navy “suffered a terrible tragedy” because of the fire.
“We are grateful for the quick and immediate response of local, base, and shipboard firefighters aboard USS Bonhomme Richard,” Adm. Gilday said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with our BHR Sailors, their families, and our emergency responders who continue to fight the fire, Godspeed.”
It is unclear what sparked the fire. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
