21 injured after explosion, fire breaks out on USS Bonhomme Richard
At least 21 people suffered minor injuries after an explosion and fire broke out on the USS Bonhomme Richard at Naval Base San Diego; William La Jeunesse reports on the latest.
Firefighting teams in San Diego, Calif., worked through the night and into the morning to extinguish a fire that continued to burn aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard, as the Navy on Monday raised the injury toll to 57 people.
The fire broke out aboard the ship docked at Naval Base San Diego around 11:30 a.m. local time on Sunday. More than 22 hours later, the Navy said the fire was still burning.
Five of the injured were sailors who were admitted to local hospitals and listed in stable condition, the Navy said.
A helicopter from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 3 combats a fire aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Christina Ross)
The other 52 injuries included both sailors and civilians who received treatment for minor injuries, including heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation.
21 INJURED AFTER EXPLOSION AND FIRE BREAKS OUT ON USS BONHOMME RICHARD AT NAVAL BASE SAN DIEGO
The Navy initially reported that the fire had caused 21 injuries.
“As of 6:49 a.m. firefighting teams continue operations on board USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) in addition to aerial firefighting operations that commenced via helicopter water bucket at 1:30 a.m. PST with two helicopters from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron THREE,” the Navy said in an earlier update.
The fire’s cause was unknown and pending an investigation.
Fireboats battle a fire on board the USS Bonhomme Richard in San Diego.
(U.S. Navy)
On Sunday night, the Navy moved two guided-missile destroyers – USS Fitzgerald and USS Russell – that were docked near the USS Bonhomme Richard to a more distant pier.
Three years ago, USS Fitzgerald was involved in a collision at sea near Japan that killed seven sailors.
Parts of San Diego woke up Monday to a burning electrical smell — the result of the acrid smoke billowing from the ship fire, Fox 5 San Diego reported.
City and county health officials issued air quality warnings advising residents to close their windows and limit time spent outdoors if there is a strong smell of smoke in their area or if they have health issues.
FIRE STILL BURNS ON USS BONHOMME RICHARD, CAUSE UNKNOWN
A fire continues to be fought into the evening on board the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) at Naval Base San Diego, July 12, 2020. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Austin Haist)
“In areas of heavy smoke, assume that air quality levels [range from] unhealthy for sensitive groups to unhealthy for all individuals,” the county’s air advisory warned, according to the station. “In areas with minor smoke impacts, assume that air quality levels range from moderate to unhealthy for sensitive groups."
Rear Adm. Philip Sobeck told reporters Sunday there were no large caches of weapons aboard the ship and that he was not concerned about the toxicity of the fumes, the station reported.
“If you look at the type of fire we have, again, an ashy fire. There’s nothing toxic in there,” Sobeck said. “It’s just black smoke … and we’re starting to see more white smoke, which is a good sign.”
The ship was in San Diego for a scheduled maintenance.
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