Battle continues on burning naval vessel

SAN DIEGO: Hundreds of firefighters battled from the air, land and water for a second day yesterday to save a US war vessel on fire at a San Diego shipyard, as the number of sailors and civilians injured in the blaze rose to nearly 60.

Amphibious assault ship USS

remained largely shrouded in thick, acrid smoke, as it began listing to starboard.

The fire, accompanied by at least one large explosion, erupted yesterday in the lower cargo hold, where seafaring tanks and landing craft are parked.

Flames then spread upward throughout much of the ship and into the tower and other structures on the top of the vessel, Rear Admiral Philip Sobeck said.

He said the fire appeared to have started where cardboard boxes, rags and other ship maintenance supplies were being stored.

The fire suppression system had been turned off because it was being worked on as part of the ongoing maintenance, he said.

Helicopters dropped water over the 257m ship throughout yesterday while fire boats on the perimeter streamed water on the hull. San Diego fire crews stopped blasting water into the ship from shore, apparently for fear of destabilising the vessel.

Asked whether the ship might be burned beyond repair, Sobeck said he was ‘‘hopeful’’ it could be spared.

The fire’s cause was unknown, but a Navy spokesman told Reuters there was no evidence of foul play.

Thirtysix sailors and 23 civilians had been treated for minor injuries, including heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation, and no personnel remained in hospital. — Reuters