A non-combat-related fire broke out Thursday aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford, which is operating in the Middle East amid the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, but has been contained.
The fire originated in the ship’s main laundry spaces and has been contained, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet said in a statement. Two sailors on board received medical care and are in stable condition.
“There is no damage to the ship’s propulsion plant, and the aircraft carrier remains fully operational,” the statement reads. “The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group is currently operating in the Red Sea in support of Operation Epic Fury.”
Pentagon officials said Tuesday that there have been seven American fatalities in the war and roughly 140 injuries of varying degrees of severity, and the vast majority of the wounded have since returned to duty.
“Since the start of Operation Epic Fury, approximately 140 U.S. service members have been wounded over 10 days of sustained attacks,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told the Washington Examiner. “The vast majority of these injuries have been minor, and 108 service members have already returned to duty. Eight service members remain listed as severely injured and are receiving the highest level of medical care.”
Parnell did not specify what countries those troops were in, what bases they were at, or on what American vessels they were when they sustained their injuries.
The United States and Israel’s opening strikes took place nearly two weeks ago. Since then, the U.S. and Israel have carried out strikes on thousands of targets throughout Iran, targeting its air force, navy, and missile production and storage facilities, among others. Inversely, Iran has fired hundreds of ballistic missiles and thousands of drones at countries all over the region, hitting American assets but also nonmilitary targets in Gulf countries.
IRAN’S IRGC IS DOWN BUT NOT OUT — YET
Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed during the opening strikes, and his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was selected by the Board of Assembly to succeed his father. On Thursday, the younger Khamenei released his first-ever address as ayatollah of the Islamic Republic, but he did not deliver it personally.
There are reports that he was injured during the opening strikes.
