FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. — Sunday night at approximately 11:50 p.m. the Fernandina Beach Fire Department and Nassau County Fire Rescue responded to a ship fire at the Port of Fernandina, according to a news release from FBFD Fire Chief, Ty Silcox.
The six-hundred-foot cargo ship had heavy smoke coming from one of the ship’s five cargo holds and a distress call was sent to The Coast Guard, Silcox said.
Crews determined that the fire started in the number five cargo hold loaded with stacks of bundled plywood being unloaded at the port, the news release continued.
Firefighters could not enter the cargo hold so water streams were sent into the compartment from above with hose lines and an aerial apparatus, Silcox said.
Due to the unstable nature of the cargo and the unknown location of the fire, firefighters had to flow water into the ship’s cargo compartment continually, according to the news release.
35 firefighters battled the fire, bringing it under control at 4:18 a.m., officially calling the fire out at 6:17 a.m., Silcox said.
There were no reported injuries to the ship’s crew. One firefighter was transported to Baptist Medical Center Nassau with a non-life-threatening injury, according to the news release.
The fire’s origin is unknown and is currently under investigation by the United States Coast Guard Investigations Division. The cause of the fire has not been determined and will take some time due to the condition of the cargo hold, Silcox said.
