21 injured in explosion, fire on US warship
SAN DIEGO: Flames raged for hours aboard a United States warship docked at Naval Base San Diego yesterday.
Twentyone people, four of them civilians, were hospitalised with minor injuries, mainly smoke inhalation.
The San Diego FireRescue Department reported an explosion in conjunction with the threealarm blaze, which broke out about 8.30am local time aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard, an amphibious assault vessel in port for routine maintenance.
Palls of thick, acrid smoke engulfed much of the 257m warship for hours, as firefighting boats in the harbour trained streams of water on to the burning vessel.
All those who were aboard the warship — about 160 personnel — were accounted for once the ship was evacuated, the US Navy said.
Navy spokesman Mike Raney said the precise origin and cause of the blaze had yet to be determined, but it was thought to have started in the lower cargo hold.
Munitions carried aboard warships were typically offloaded before the vessels entered port for maintenance as a security precaution, he said.
The fire broke out below the waterline of the ship, making it more difficult to bring under control. — Reuters