The US Coast Guard reports that two people were killed during the firefighting effort on a burning Con-Ro vessel at Port Newark in New Jersey on Wednesday, July 5.
The two fatalities were local firefighters who were deployed as part of the multi-agency response after a blaze ignited on the Italian-flagged vessel Grande Costa D'Avorio shortly after 21:30 local time on Wednesday.
The two firefighters were initially declared missing shortly after they boarded the ship to help extinguish the blaze. Local officials later confirmed that the two individuals had become trapped on board and suffered fatal injuries.
A US Coast Guard response boat based at Station New York as well as prevention and response teams joined multiple area agencies as part of a unified response to the incident.
There have been no reports of crewmember injuries on the ship. A number of firefighters suffered less severe injuries and have since been brought to various hospitals.
Shipowner the Grimaldi Group said that the fire broke out among the vehicles on deck 10 as cargo loading operations were ongoing. The flames then quickly spread to decks 11 and 12.
The fire was reportedly brought under control by 09:00 on Thursday, July 6. Authorities assured that the ship was still afloat and that there were no signs of pollution in the surrounding waters.
Grimaldi added that it will conduct a full investigation along with the relevant authorities to identify the probable causes of the incident.
