A container ship in Los Angeles was engulfed in flames on Friday, sparking a temporary shelter-in-place directive for nearby neighborhoods due to fears over potential hazardous substances in the cargo.
The Los Angeles Fire Department confirmed that all 23 crew members aboard the vessel were safe and uninjured following the electrical fire. Authorities identified that the ship, named One Henry Hudson, was carrying hazardous materials.
By Saturday morning, Mayor Karen Bass announced the lifting of the shelter-in-place order, which had impacted areas surrounding the port for several hours.
“The shelter-in-place order has been lifted for the Los Angeles port communities, including Wilmington and San Pedro,” Bass shared on the platform X.
The fire was reported at approximately 6:38 p.m., prompting a response from 124 Los Angeles Fire Department personnel. Support was also provided by the Long Beach Fire Department and Port Police.
Overhead footage from AIR7 captured dramatic scenes as fireboats doused the ship with water, while plumes of smoke rose into the air.
By about 7 p.m., the fire had spread to several levels of the ship, according to the fire department, and later an explosion took place mid-deck. The explosion disrupted power to the ship, including lighting and crane operations.
The U.S. Coast Guard said a safety zone of one nautical mile had been established around the vessel.
The fire appears 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 started.
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 (336-meter-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.
KABC contributed to this report.
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