14 Jul Fires & explosion destroys US Navy ship
More than a dozen sailors and several civilians have been hospitalised following an explosion on a Navy ship in San Diego on the west coast of the USA.
A fire broke out aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard sometime around 0830 0n 1112th July, said officials with the Naval Surface Forces. The blaze escalated to a three-alarm fire, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, which assisted in battling the fire along with base and shipboard firefighting teams.
A defense official told ABC News that 19 federal firefighters have also suffered at least minor injuries fighting the blaze.
There were 160 sailors aboard at the time the fire started, and the entire crew is off the ship and accounted for, Naval Surface Forces said.
At a press conference, Rear Admiral Philip Sobeck said the origin of the fire appeared to be in the lower cargo hold of the ship. It was unclear what caused the explosion, but that there is a “low risk for secondary explosions,” he said.
Uptodate reports and video https://abcnews.go.com/US/11-sailors-injured-explosion-san-diego-naval-ship/story?id=71742603