Firefighters Saturday continue to battle an electrical fire that started below deck of the container ship One Henry Hudson in the Port of Los Angeles and prompted a major emergency response, but no injuries were reported.
The fire was reported around 6:38 p.m. Friday with 124 Los Angeles Fire Department personnel responding, including those from Heavy Rescue, HazMat, Urban Search and Rescue, Fire Boats and Air Operations units, according to the department’s Lyndsey Lantz.
Personnel from the Long Beach Fire Department and Port Police also assisted.
ABC7 reported the ship was moved out to sea overnight as firefighters continue to try to get control of the fire.
LAFD reported they have been unable to access roughly 40 burning containers as of Saturday morning.
Fire was visible on several levels of the 1,100-foot vessel as LAFD crews worked to confirm all 23 crew members were accounted for and safely off the ship while identifying the fire’s source and working to contain it.
Port Police and Customs personnel helped with crew leaving the ship, Lantz said.
LAFD HazMat teams monitored air quality as suppression efforts continued in the ship’s sub-levels, where access remained difficult. A shelter-in-place order was issued north of Point Fermin, between South Western Avenue and State Route 103 for both San Pedro and nearby Wilmington, the LAFD reported.
Due to the fire at the port, the California Highway Patrol issued a SigAlert for the closure of all lanes of the Seaside (47) Freeway, between Gaffney Street and Ocean Boulevard in San Pedro for an unknown duration and the freeway remained closed early Saturday morning.
” A waterside safety zone around the ship has been established and the State Route 47 has been closed due to smoke and visibility concerns,” said a statement from the Port of Los Angeles. “No injuries have been reported and all crew members are accounted for.”
The department also issued a shelter-in-place order for the area immediately surrounding the fire.
“If you can smell it, you’re going to want to stay indoors,” LAFD Captain Adam Van Gerpen said.
Crew members attempted to assist firefighters navigating those lower compartments.
The fire remained under major emergency status as of 7:30 p.m. Friday.
At 7:58 p.m., an explosion was reported mid-deck, disrupting power to the ship, including lighting and crane operations.
By 8:27 p.m., the final five crew members were assisted off the vessel, and all crew were accounted for, according to Lantz.
Fire boats from the Los Angeles and Long Beach fire departments, were involved in the firefight, Fox11 reported. A drone from the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services was also involved, Lantz said.
Four of the port’s seven container terminals have suspended operations.
The ship recently arrived from Tokyo, according to Fox11.
About 186 personnel were actively working the fire as of 9:22 p.m. Friday, Lantz said.