Four crew members injured in cargo ship fire at Port of Wilmington

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(Photo by Marcus Brandt/picture alliance via Getty Images)

WILMINGTON, De. - Wilmington firefighters spent hours battling a cargo ship fire Wednesday morning after flames broke out inside the engine room of a vessel docked at the Port of Wilmington.

What we know:

Fire officials said the call came at 9:28 a.m. for a reported fire on the Chiquita Voyager, a ship flagged out of Libya. When Battalion Chief Eric Haley arrived, he saw smoke coming from the ship’s superstructure.

Firefighters boarded the vessel to begin fire suppression and evacuate the crew. The fire was reportedly located in the engine room, and the ship’s onboard suppression system helped contain the flames in the area of origin.

Crews worked for approximately three hours to get the incident under control. Fire units are expected to remain on scene for the rest of the day to ensure there are no flare-ups.

A total of four crew members were injured during the fire. They were transported to Christiana Hospital by EMS for treatment. No information on the severity of their injuries was immediately available.

Roughly 70 fire and EMS personnel responded, including units from:

• Wilmington Fire Department: Engines 1, 2, 3, 5, 6; Squad 4; Ladders 1 and 2; Battalion Chiefs 1 and 2; F1; Ambulances 2, 5, 6
• New Castle County EMS
• New Castle County Emergency Management
• Mutual aid from multiple New Castle County fire departments

What's next:

The Wilmington Fire Department and other responding agencies are expected to remain at the port throughout the day to investigate the cause of the fire and monitor conditions aboard the ship.