Two firefighters misplaced their lives final night time battling a automobile service fireplace that broke out aboard the Grimaldi Deep Sea RO/RO vessel Grande Costa d’Avorio in Port Newark. As of noon right this moment, response efforts had been persevering with with native TV helicopter cameras displaying a New York Fire Department fireplace boat pouring water on the highest deck of the vessel as firefighting efforts on decrease decks continued.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraca recognized the 2 firefighters as Wayne Brooks Jr., 49, and Augusto “Augie” Acabou, 45. Five different firefighters had been injured combating the blaze, together with these from different municipalities, officers stated.ess.
Coast Guard watch standers at Sector New York acquired an preliminary name of a hearth on the multi-level vessel at 9:38 PM yesterday. A Coast Guard response boat out of Station New York, together with prevention and response groups, joined a number of space companies as a part of a unified response to the continuing incident.
“Coast Guard is actively involved with the joint response and focused on the safety of responders, as well as assessing overall impact on the maritime transportation system and the environment,” stated Capt. Zeita Merchant, the commander of Coast Guard Sector New York and captain of the port of New York and New Jersey. “Our thoughts are with Newark Fire Department, our partner agencies and the families of the firefighters lost during this response. These responders are working in inherently dangerous hazardous conditions when incidents of this nature occur, and their loss is truly tragic.”
Grimaldi Deep Sea says that the Italian-flag vessel was finishing the loading operations of assorted rolling items (vehicles, vans, vans) when the fireplace began on deck 10 which was attended by native stevedores and crew members.
The crew of the vessel instantly activated the on-board fireplace suppression procedures whereas the native firefighting service was alerted and, Grimaldi says, their immediate response performed a vital function in containing and bringing the fireplace below management.
“Sadly, during the firefighting operations,” stated an organization assertion, “Grimaldi Deep Sea was informed that two firefighters lost their lives. All the company’s thoughts, prayers and sympathies are with their families and team currently. At this time, it is not known how the fire started but the company will undertake a full investigation in close cooperation with all relevant authorities.”
According to Grimaldi, Grande Costa d’Avorio operates with 28 crew members. No gas spill has been detected nor does the steadiness of the ship look like compromised.
NO ELECTRIC VEHICLES ON BOARD
Though incidents such because the Felicity Ace fireplace have drawn consideration to the hazard of L-ion battery fires on automobile carriers, Grimaldi says there have been no EVs on board.
“She is carrying over 1.200 rolling units (between new and secondhand cars, vans and rolling equipment) as well as 157 containers,” stated the corporate. “There are no electric cars nor hazardous cargo on board.
Grimaldi Deep Sea wishes to thank and acknowledge the fast and professional response of the firefighting teams to this incident.”
This will not be the primary automobile service fireplace in a U.S. port. Back in 2020, the fireplace aboard the Höegh Xiamen on the Blount Island Horizon Terminal, Jacksonville, Fla., noticed ten firefighters injured, although there have been no fatalities. That fireplace took over every week to extinguish. While there have been no EVs on that ship both, the NTSB decided the possible trigger to be {an electrical} fault from an improperly disconnected battery in a used automobile.