A raging fire aboard the docked amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard in the San Diego harbor was finally extinguished Thursday after four days, with the $760 million ship’s ultimate fate yet unknown.
“We did not know the origin of the fire. We do not know the extent of the damage,” Strike Group THREE commander, Rear Adm. Philip Sobeck, said in a press statement Thursday. “It is too early to make any predictions or promises of what the future of the ship will be.”
The fire began on the 23-year-old ship at approximately 8:30 a.m. PST Sunday in a storage area in the belly of the vessel that held heavy-duty cardboard, rags, and equipment. It quickly spread to an open-air hanger that fueled the conflagration and forced firefighting sailors to evacuate pier-side.
In the ensuing days, helicopters doused the ship with more than 1,500 water bucket drops while tugs tried to cool 1,000-degree temperatures in the hull with water jets and prevent the fire from reaching an estimated 1 million gallons of fuel.
Firefighters were able to board the ship Tuesday to attack the blaze but were later forced to evacuate when the ship became unsteady.
Sobeck said the ship had to be carefully inspected and cleared of any unknown remaining fires before an investigation as to the fire’s origin may begin.
“We cannot make any conclusions until the investigation is complete,” the commander said before thanking the 400 sailors and federal firefighters involved in the operation.
In all, 63 personnel, including 40 sailors and 23 civilians, were treated for minor injuries, including heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation. None remain hospitalized.
