In brief
A significant fire broke out on the container ship One Henry Hudson in the Port of Los Angeles early Friday morning. The incident has triggered a shelter-in-place order for nearby communities due to the presence of hazardous materials. All onboard crew members are safe, but over 100 firefighters are engaged in combating the flames. The fire reportedly began below deck and has escalated, creating a mid-deck explosion. Despite the ongoing efforts, the origin of the blaze remains under investigation.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A fire that broke out aboard a Los Angeles container ship on Friday continued to burn overnight, prompting a shelter-in-place order for surrounding communities over concerns about hazardous materials within the ship’s cargo.
All 23 crew members of the ship were accounted for and there were no injuries from the electrical fire, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Officials said they had identified hazardous materials aboard the vessel, the One Henry Hudson.
Just before 3 a.m., Mayor Karen Bass announced a shelter-in-place order for the areas around the port, including San Pedro and Wilmington.
“Remain at home, keep windows closed and turn off HVAC systems,” she said on social media.
The U.S. Coast Guard has established a safety zone of one nautical mile around the vessel.
The fire appeared to have started below deck, before spreading to several levels of the ship, leading to an explosion mid-deck, according to the fire department. It was not immediately clear how the fire began.
More than 100 firefighters were called to battle the blaze at the Port of Los Angeles, known as the busiest seaport in North America. Their efforts continued overnight, Bass said.
The 1,102-foot-long vessel is operated by One Ocean Express, a shipping company headquartered in Singapore. Before Los Angeles, the ship had most recently been in Japan, stopping in Kobe, Nagoya, and Tokyo.
One Ocean Express did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press requesting comment.
