All but three firefighters with the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department were released from the hospital Friday following a fire on a car-carrying vessel in Blount Island.
Out of the nearly responding 150 firefighters, there were nine firefighters in total who were injured from battling the fire that broke out on the Norwegian vessel, Höegh Xiamen, around 4 p.m. on Thursday. Eight of those firefighters were injured following an explosion before 7 p.m. while one firefighter was injured from heat exhaustion.
On Friday during a news conference, JFRD said one of the firefighters remains downtown in UF Health while the other two remain in Gainesville within UF Health Shand's burn unit. Fire Chief Keith Powers said some of their injuries involved burns on their face, ears and hands.
"I think they are going to make a recovery, but as I said earlier, it's going to be a long road," Powers said.
As for the ship's 21 crew members, they made it out safely Thursday.
Powers also expressed his gratitude toward the community following this incident.
"The outpouring support from this community... is just humbling," he said. "It's an amazing community that we live in. I just want to say thank you to the community personally."
JFRD said an outside company from Texas that specializes in ship firefighting is assisting with putting out the fire. Crews are cooling the outside of the ship and letting the fuel burn on the inside.
Drones are flying overhead to continue monitoring everything, according to firefighters.
Höegh Autoliners CEO, Thor Jørgen Guttormsen, issued a statement regarding the Thursday afternoon incident.
“On behalf of everyone at Höegh Autoliners, I want to express my continuing thanks to the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, the US Coast Guard, The Jacksonville Port Authority and all other parties involved in tackling the fire aboard our vessel Höegh Xiamen in Jacksonville, Florida.
Unfortunately, a number of members of the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department sustained injuries courageously tackling this blaze. My thoughts and the thoughts of everyone here at Höegh Autoliners, are very much with them today as we wish them a swift recovery.
Jacksonville firefighters responded immediately and have worked tirelessly to control the fire. They must receive our sincere gratitude for their professional response and their sheer hard work.
We are continuing to work closely with all agencies and partners involved in this case to bring the situation under control.”
The company also says there are no reports of any pollution but a safety zone has been established around the vessel as a precautionary measure.
"Höegh Autoliners has activated its emergency response team and is working closely with all necessary authorities to contain the incident," said the company. "Our priorities at this time are to secure the vessel and ensure the preservation of the local environment."