21 injured as major fire breaks out on USS Bonhomme Richard at Naval Base San Diego
- The amphibious assault vessel was in port in San Diego for maintenance when the explosion erupted
- Two other docked ships, USS Fitzgerald and USS Russell, were moved to berths away from the fire
US Navy and fire officials were investigating an explosion and fire on board an amphibious assault ship that injured 17 sailors and four civilians.
The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department reported an explosion in conjunction with the blaze, which broke out at about 8:30am local time on Sunday aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard, which was in port for routine maintenance.
The blast was believed to have been triggered by the rapid initial release of heat from a confined space under pressure, as opposed to an explosion of fuel or ordnance, Rear Admiral Philip Sobeck said.
Ammunition normally carried aboard warships at sea had already been unloaded as a standard safety precaution before the vessel was placed into maintenance, US Navy officials said.
Fuel remained isolated “well below where any heat source is” and fire crews worked all day to “make sure that’s not affected”, the admiral said.
Palls of thick, acrid smoke visible for miles around the base engulfed much of the 257-metre warship for several hours, as about half a dozen firefighting boats in the harbour trained streams of water onto the burning vessel.
Seventeen sailors and four civilians were taken to local hospitals for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, and all those who were aboard the warship - about 160 personnel - were accounted for, the US Navy said.
