ONE CONTRIBUTION

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Quick response to ship fire

Oakland firefighters were alerted to the "MOL Contribution" at pier 32 at the Trapac Container Terminal in the Port of Oakland to battle a two-alarm fire on Feb 15, 2015, at 5:55 p.m. The fire crews arrived to find smoke coming from the upper decks of the large cargo container vessel. They located the fire inside the third officer’s cabin and passageway area on the “F” deck. 15 of the ship’s crewmembers were already fighting the fire when Oakland firefighters arrived. The crewmembers have thermal protection gear, respirators and fire hoses onboard. Most of the ship’s crew was on shore when the fire broke out, leaving just a skeleton squad on the ship. Around 20 people were onboard when the fire broke out. The fire had spread from the third officer’s cabin into a passageway and caused fire and smoke damage on the “F” deck and there was smoke damage throughout the vessel. The bridge had to be evacuated early on. Gaining access to the fire was difficult, but the Oakland Fire Department were able to extinguish the blaze within about 30 minutes. The fire appeared to be electrical in nature and might have started after a piece of electrical equipment overheated. The ship was headed towards Hong Kong but will likely need to remain at the port for some time while crews restore the officer’s sleeping quarters and make repairs. The Coast Guard would be conducting a follow-up investigation to ensure the ship was safe to travel. The Oakland Fire Department would continue to investigate the cause of the blaze.