Six crew members were unaccounted for after a cargo ship and containers caught fire at the Port of Los Angeles on Friday night, authorities said. About 90 minutes after the fire was reported, an explosion cut power to the ship.
The Los Angeles Fire Department said an electrical fire started a little after 6:30 p.m. Pacific Time below deck of the container ship named 1 Henry Hudson.
LAFD sent more than 120 firefighters to the docked ship as police and customs officers attempted to get the 23-person crew off the 1100-foot ship. LAFD said 15 crew members were evacuated.
Six crew members were unaccounted for, officials said. The LAFD said there were no immediate reports of injuries to those that were evacuated.
Two crew members stayed on the ship to help firefighters navigate the vessel. However, LAFD commanders instructed firefighters that they could not go below deck.
Just before 8 p.m., an explosion near mid-deck cut the power to the ship, including the lights and crane operations. Firefighters are monitoring the ship’s height relative to sea level. The vessel remained stable at last report.
LAFD hazmat teams responded to the port to set up air quality monitors and handle the hazardous materials listed on the ship’s manifest.
