Carnival ship evacuated soon after the Fires ignited by a series of
at least seven explosions aboard two fuel barges on the Mobile River in
Alabama burned themselves out Thursday morning, the authorities said.
The blasts injured at least three people and forced the evacuation of a Carnival Cruise Lines ship nearby that was undergoing repairs.
The first explosion occurred Wednesday about 8:30 p.m., and the blasts continued until about 2 a.m., according to the Mobile Fire and Rescue Department. At least one of the barges was being cleaned at the time while docked near Mobile, Ala., and the injuries occurred to members of the cleaning crew, said Lt. Mike Clausen of the United States Coast Guard.
The blasts unleashed a plume of fire that burned for several hours, illuminating the night sky above the river and leading Coast Guard officials to set up a one-mile safety zone and the fire department to allow the blaze to extinguish itself.
The department said Thursday it planned to send in a hazardous materials team to determine if dangerous chemicals were present on the barges before fire investigators board the vessels to determine a cause for the accident. The barges contained “raw” gasoline that had no additives, according to the Fire department Twitter feed.
Residents of the area described a terrifying scene as the explosions lit up the Mobile River.
“We thought it was an earthquake or something,” Amber Hobbs told AL.com, a local news Web site, recalling how the blasts shook her house as she was sitting down to dinner. “I have never felt anything like that.”
The spectacular blaze drew local residents to the riverfront to watch the fire, despite a call by Mobile’s mayor, Sam Jones, that they stay away.
The only people present on the Carnival cruise ship were company employees, officials said. The ship, the Triumph, is undergoing repairs after it suffered an engine room fire about two months ago. That fire left the ship adrift in the Gulf of Mexico, stranding thousands of passengers and crew members.
The blasts injured at least three people and forced the evacuation of a Carnival Cruise Lines ship nearby that was undergoing repairs.
The first explosion occurred Wednesday about 8:30 p.m., and the blasts continued until about 2 a.m., according to the Mobile Fire and Rescue Department. At least one of the barges was being cleaned at the time while docked near Mobile, Ala., and the injuries occurred to members of the cleaning crew, said Lt. Mike Clausen of the United States Coast Guard.
The blasts unleashed a plume of fire that burned for several hours, illuminating the night sky above the river and leading Coast Guard officials to set up a one-mile safety zone and the fire department to allow the blaze to extinguish itself.
The department said Thursday it planned to send in a hazardous materials team to determine if dangerous chemicals were present on the barges before fire investigators board the vessels to determine a cause for the accident. The barges contained “raw” gasoline that had no additives, according to the Fire department Twitter feed.
Residents of the area described a terrifying scene as the explosions lit up the Mobile River.
“We thought it was an earthquake or something,” Amber Hobbs told AL.com, a local news Web site, recalling how the blasts shook her house as she was sitting down to dinner. “I have never felt anything like that.”
The spectacular blaze drew local residents to the riverfront to watch the fire, despite a call by Mobile’s mayor, Sam Jones, that they stay away.
The only people present on the Carnival cruise ship were company employees, officials said. The ship, the Triumph, is undergoing repairs after it suffered an engine room fire about two months ago. That fire left the ship adrift in the Gulf of Mexico, stranding thousands of passengers and crew members.