SAN DIEGO (AP) — Firefighters on land, in the air and on the water today were still battling a blaze on a Navy ship that injured at least 21 people and sent smoke billowing over San Diego.
The fire began Sunday morning in a vehicle storage area aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard, according to Rear Adm. Philip Sobeck, who said 17 sailors and four others, including firefighters, were treated at hospitals for smoke inhalation or other minor injuries.
It was proving to be a stubborn blaze to put out, requiring helicopters dumping water from above, firefighting vessels shooting seawater and fire trucks pounding water through hoses from the dock. Sobeck told the San Diego Union-Tribune that there was no ordnance on board, and while the ship holds a million gallons of fuel, that is “well below” any heat source.
