A Fire on a Container Ship Prompted a Shelter-in-Place Order at LA's Port
A massive fire erupted on a container ship docked at the Port of Los Angeles, causing authorities to issue a shelter-in-place order for surrounding communities due to concerns over hazardous materials. The blaze, which broke out Friday night, sent flames shooting 100 feet into the air as it spread through the vessel.
The fire department reported that an electrical fire started below deck and eventually led to an explosion mid-deck. Fireboats were deployed to put out the flames, but a small section of the ship remained ablaze until morning.
According to officials, approximately 100 cargo containers on board caught fire, including some carrying hazardous materials like lithium-ion batteries and other toxic waste. It is unclear which specific containers burned or if they released any hazardous substances into the air.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported, thanks in part to a swift evacuation of the crew, who were all accounted for by the time firefighters arrived on the scene. Firefighters battled the blaze overnight, assisted by the US Coast Guard.
The incident prompted a safety zone and temporary flight restriction around the ship, while port operations resumed by morning. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass praised the bravery of first responders, stating that their efforts continued into the early hours of Saturday.
The 1,102-foot vessel is operated by Ocean Network Express, a Singapore-based company. The company has issued a statement confirming all crew members are safe and expressing gratitude to emergency responders and promising support for subsequent investigations.
This incident highlights the growing concern about container ship fires at busy ports like Los Angeles.
A massive fire erupted on a container ship docked at the Port of Los Angeles, causing authorities to issue a shelter-in-place order for surrounding communities due to concerns over hazardous materials. The blaze, which broke out Friday night, sent flames shooting 100 feet into the air as it spread through the vessel.
The fire department reported that an electrical fire started below deck and eventually led to an explosion mid-deck. Fireboats were deployed to put out the flames, but a small section of the ship remained ablaze until morning.
According to officials, approximately 100 cargo containers on board caught fire, including some carrying hazardous materials like lithium-ion batteries and other toxic waste. It is unclear which specific containers burned or if they released any hazardous substances into the air.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported, thanks in part to a swift evacuation of the crew, who were all accounted for by the time firefighters arrived on the scene. Firefighters battled the blaze overnight, assisted by the US Coast Guard.
The incident prompted a safety zone and temporary flight restriction around the ship, while port operations resumed by morning. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass praised the bravery of first responders, stating that their efforts continued into the early hours of Saturday.
The 1,102-foot vessel is operated by Ocean Network Express, a Singapore-based company. The company has issued a statement confirming all crew members are safe and expressing gratitude to emergency responders and promising support for subsequent investigations.
This incident highlights the growing concern about container ship fires at busy ports like Los Angeles.
they're just sitting there with giant flames shooting up everywhere and people are like "oh no" meanwhile we gotta deal with climate change and stuff like this is just so unnecessary 
container ship fires are getting more frequent and it's only a matter of time before something bad happens. can't we just get our act together already? 
! and hazardous materials on board? no good, can't have that kinda risk to surrounding communities. glad everyone's safe tho, gotta give props to those first responders who worked through the night. i'm just wondering how these ships are even allowed to carry stuff like lithium-ion batteries near a big city like LA 
. anyway, hope they figure out what went down and make some changes to prevent it from happening again 
. and the fact that it took fireboats to put out the fire is pretty concerning too... should've been able to contain that blaze way better. and what's with the lack of info on which containers caught fire or released any toxic waste into the air? transparency would be super helpful in situations like this 
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100ft flames is crazy i can imagine how scary it must've been for everyone on board 
hope they're able to figure out what caused it so we don't see this again soon 
just read about that huge fire on the container ship at LA's port 
, can't believe how scary it must have been for those near by but on the bright side, super glad no one got hurt and all crew members are safe 
, love how brave first responders were and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is giving them so much credit 
. also pretty cool that firefighters worked together with US Coast Guard to put out the flames 
, let's focus on that positivity and keep our fingers crossed for a safe and smooth return to normalcy 
Still, it's good to hear that the crew was evacuated safely and those firefighters worked hard to put out the flames. 
Anyway, kudos to the first responders who saved the day! 
(Container ships: where you go for the job, but end up with a burning crisis) 
what if some of it spilled out into the air? 
and now LA port is all about that safety zone thingy... just gotta be careful with them container ships, you know? 
Thankfully no one got hurt, but it's still super concerning. And can you imagine having to evacuate your whole neighborhood because of a fire on a ship in the middle of the ocean?! 
. And what's with the lack of concrete info on which containers actually caught fire and released any toxic waste? It's too early to say if this was a one-off or if these kinds of incidents will keep happening. Not to mention how many other containers might be hiding some kind of fire hazard in plain sight... anyway, glad the crew got out safely 
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According to some reports, we've seen a 50% increase in such incidents over the past year. Scary stuff!