Explosion Sparks Major Fire Aboard Containership Berthed In Los Angeles
A major firefighting operation unfolded in the Port of Los Angeles over the weekend after an explosion triggered a fire aboard the containership ONE Henry Hudson.
The blaze erupted in hard-to-reach lower-deck compartments while the vessel was berthed, prompting an immediate response from port authorities. All 23 crew members were safely evacuated, and no injuries were reported.
Nearly 200 Los Angeles City firefighters were deployed to tackle the incident. A mid-ship explosion knocked out power, forcing firefighters to withdraw and shift to an exterior attack from the pier. Concerns grew as hazmat risks were identified, leading officials to undock the ship and tow it offshore to prevent further danger within the port.
The vessel was anchored approximately four miles off the quay, where crews carried out boundary cooling and began the painstaking process of container-by-container suppression while also monitoring the ship’s stability. These efforts continued for three days before the fire was finally contained.
Authorities now plan to return the ONE Henry Hudson to the pier to remove cargo under controlled conditions and begin a full investigation into the cause.
While the source of the blaze currently remains unknown, the onboard explosion has raised suspicions that dangerous goods may have played a role. Misdeclared or undeclared hazardous cargo has been linked to multiple ship and port fires in recent years, and investigators will examine whether similar issues contributed to this latest incident.
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