All injured received minor injuries and should fully recover
Firefighters were still battling a blaze Monday on a Navy combat ship that injured at least 57 people and sent smoke billowing over San Diego.
None of the wounded are critical and should make a complete recovery. There were about 100 people on board when the explosion took place. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined.
The ship did not have any ordinance onboard, allowing fire fighters to do their job without risk of further explosions. The ship contains about a million gallons of fuel though the tanks are well away from the fire.
“Seventeen Sailors and four civilians are being treated for non-life threatening injuries at a local hospital,” the US Navy said in a statement.
Two fires crews were working to put out the fire according to the Federal Fire San Diego Division Chief Rob Bondurant said in a statement. A number of agencies were coordinating in the fire fight.
“Federal Fire is rotating their crews aboard the ship with U.S. Navy firefighting crews from the waterfront to fight the fire in order to find the seat of the fire and extinguish it,” Bondurant said. “Navy Region Southwest tugs are also continuously combating the fire from the bay.”
Ship on the base for repair work
USS Bonhomme Richard, the vessel that had the explosion, was on the base for repair works. Navy experts are confident that they can salvage the ship and get it back in the seas. Rear Adm. Philip Sobeck said that the repair crews will be back to work as soon as the fire is put out.
“She was in a stage of repair anyway,” Sobeck said. “So we’re just gonna get right back at it once we get this thing contained and put out.”
There are two ships nearby that were moved away to ensure they do not get any damage.