18 sailors injured after an explosion and fire on a naval ship in San Diego
By Artemis Moshtaghian and Theresa Waldrop, CNN
Updated 2110 GMT (0510 HKT) July 12, 2020
(CNN)Eighteen sailors were injured after an explosion and fire on board a ship at the US Naval Base in San Diego, US Navy officials said.
The sailors on the USS Bonhomme Richard had "minor injuries" from the fire and were taken to a hospital, Lt. Cmdr. Patricia Kreuzberger told CNN.
All of the crew is off the ship and accounted for, according to a tweet from the US Pacific Fleet Naval Surface Forces Sunday afternoon.
In a tweet, the Naval Surface Forces updated the number of sailors taken to the hospital to 18 from 11.
Firefighters were battling a three-alarm fire on the ship, SDFD's Mónica Muñoz said. Several different agencies are working to fight the blaze.
The ship could burn for days, "down to the water line," San Diego Fire Chief Colin Stowell told CNN's Erica Hill Sunday afternoon.
There was an explosion just as personnel were leaving the ship, Stowell said.
No personnel from any agency is left on the ship, he said.
"The navy is the only one that will work from the pier side, as well as the harbor PD on the fire boats, working from the water side to contain the heat of it," according to Stowell.
It's unclear what started the fire. Initial reports from the ship indicate it started in the well deck, according to a defense official.
The well deck is where small landing craft enter and exit the belly of the ship.
Officials called for San Diego Fire Department's assistance about 9 a.m. local time, Muñoz told CNN.
A second alarm was called at 9:09 a.m. and a third at 9:51 a.m., according to SDFD tweets.
The USS Bonhomme Richard is an amphibious assault ship, according to the US Navy.
There were 160 people on board when the fire started, according to the Naval Surface Forces. The ship, which has a crew of 1,000, was undergoing maintenance.
CNN's Barbara Starr, Mary Kay Mallonee, Melissa Alonso and Ryan Browne contributed to this report.
By Artemis Moshtaghian and Theresa Waldrop, CNN
Updated 2110 GMT (0510 HKT) July 12, 2020
(CNN)Eighteen sailors were injured after an explosion and fire on board a ship at the US Naval Base in San Diego, US Navy officials said.
The sailors on the USS Bonhomme Richard had "minor injuries" from the fire and were taken to a hospital, Lt. Cmdr. Patricia Kreuzberger told CNN.
All of the crew is off the ship and accounted for, according to a tweet from the US Pacific Fleet Naval Surface Forces Sunday afternoon.
In a tweet, the Naval Surface Forces updated the number of sailors taken to the hospital to 18 from 11.
Firefighters were battling a three-alarm fire on the ship, SDFD's Mónica Muñoz said. Several different agencies are working to fight the blaze.
SDFD was requested by Federal Fire at about 9am. #shipfire pic.twitter.com/Ah6GRzpJHJ
— SDFD (@SDFD) July 12, 2020
The ship could burn for days, "down to the water line," San Diego Fire Chief Colin Stowell told CNN's Erica Hill Sunday afternoon.
There was an explosion just as personnel were leaving the ship, Stowell said.
No personnel from any agency is left on the ship, he said.
"The navy is the only one that will work from the pier side, as well as the harbor PD on the fire boats, working from the water side to contain the heat of it," according to Stowell.
It's unclear what started the fire. Initial reports from the ship indicate it started in the well deck, according to a defense official.
The well deck is where small landing craft enter and exit the belly of the ship.
Officials called for San Diego Fire Department's assistance about 9 a.m. local time, Muñoz told CNN.
A second alarm was called at 9:09 a.m. and a third at 9:51 a.m., according to SDFD tweets.
The USS Bonhomme Richard is an amphibious assault ship, according to the US Navy.
There were 160 people on board when the fire started, according to the Naval Surface Forces. The ship, which has a crew of 1,000, was undergoing maintenance.
CNN's Barbara Starr, Mary Kay Mallonee, Melissa Alonso and Ryan Browne contributed to this report.