NAVY BLAST
Fire, explosion on amphibious assault ship injures 21.
SAN DIEGO — A threealarm fire and explosion aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard injured 17 sailors and four civilians Sunday as multiple agencies responded to the blaze at Naval Base San Diego, military officials said.
Brian O’Rourke, a Navy Region Southwest spokesman, said the location of the blaze and extent of damage on the 840-foot amphibious vessel are not known.
The blaze was reported shortly before 9 a.m., said Mike Raney, a spokesman for Naval Surface Force, US Pacific Fleet.
The 17 sailors and four civilians were sent to a local hospital with injuries not life-threatening, according to a statement from Naval Surface Forces in San Diego.
The cause of the fire was under investigation. The flames sent up a huge plume of dark smoke visible around San Diego.
About 160 sailors and officers were on board, Raney said. In total, about 1,000 sailors are assigned to the ship, according to a Naval Surface Forces spokesman. The ship has the capacity to deploy and land helicopters, smaller boats and amphibious vehicles.
San Diego is the Bonhomme Richard’s home port.
The ship was in drydock at General Dynamics NASSCO in San Diego last year and has been underassault going further maintenance at Naval Base San Diego. Its last deployment was in 2018.
The ship would not normally have large artillery on board while docked, Krishna Jackson, a Navy spokeswoman, said.
Two other docked ships — USS Fitzgerald and USS Russell — were moved to berths away from the fire, Raney said.