Massive Container Ship Fire Near LA Continues To Burn

LOS ANGELES, CA — An electrical fire broke out on board a container ship docked at San Pedro Port on Friday night, prompting a massive emergency response and a shelter-in-place order for nearby neighborhoods.

The fire on the ship One Henry Hudson continued to burn on Saturday morning after the vessel was towed out to sea, where firefighters worked to contain the blaze.

"We had a very large response to this. Our firefighters worked throughout the night," Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Adam Van Gerpen told KTLA.

Due to the blaze, a shelter-in-place order was issued Friday north of Point Fermin, between South Western Avenue and State Route 103, for both San Pedro and nearby Wilmington, according to officials. The shelter-in-place has since been lifted.

The fire was first reported shortly before 6:40 p.m. Friday, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Nearly 125 firefighters responded to the blaze, including those from heavy rescue, hazmat, urban search and rescue, fire boats, and air operations units.

Personnel from the Long Beach Fire Department and Port Police also assisted.

On Friday, fire was visible on several levels of the 1,100-foot vessel as LAFD crews worked to confirm all 23 crew members were accounted for and safely off the ship. Port Police and Customs personnel helped evacuate the crew from the ship, officials said.

Shortly before 8 p.m., an explosion on the mid-deck disrupted power, lights, and crane operations, according to the fire department.

Van Gerpen said fire crews had reports that at least 40 containers caught fire and that number might have risen to 100 after the blast. Six crewmembers who had been evacuated from the ship returned to assist firefighters navigating the lower compartments, he added.

"This is very rare that a ship catches on fire and we have to remove out of the port, but we wanted to have it safe for the residents of Wilmington and San Pedro," Van Gerpen said.

No injuries were reported, officials said. The cause of the blaze remains unclear.

Due to the fire, the California Highway Patrol issued a SigAlert for the closure of all lanes of the Seaside Freeway, between Gaffney Street and Ocean Boulevard in San Pedro. The freeway reopened Saturday morning with no restrictions.

Four of the port's seven container terminals suspended operations after the fire, but they had reopened by Saturday morning, Van Gerpen said. Officials said all work restrictions at the port had been lifted.

In a statement shared on social media, Mayor Karen Bass said the city was monitoring the incident closely.

"LA thanks our courageous emergency responders who worked around the clock to respond to the @PortofLA," she wrote.

Gov. Gavin Newsom's office also responded, stating the governor had been briefed on the fire.

"Our office is coordinating with local authorities to support first responders and protect the surrounding community," the governor's press team wrote.

City News Service contributed to this report.