Fire and Explosion on ONE Henry Hudson: Port of Los Angeles Triggers Emergency Response

Late last Friday (November 22), a serious fire broke out on the container ship ONE Henry Hudson (8,212 TEU capacity) while the vessel was berthed for cargo operations at the Yusen Container Terminal within the Port of Los Angeles.

The incident triggered a large-scale emergency response involving nearly 200 firefighters and compelled local authorities to issue a "shelter-in-place" order for nearby residential communities to ensure public safety.

Incident Progression

According to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), the fire ignited below deck at approximately 18:38. Initial assessments suggest a potential electrical fault as the cause, after which the fire spread through multiple cargo holds. The situation escalated when an explosion occurred in the mid-deck area, severing the ship's power supply and leaving the entire lighting system and shore crane operations paralyzed.

Firefighting forces deployed a coordinated land and sea strategy, utilizing fireboats for water cooling and specialized Hazardous Materials (HazMat) units to monitor air quality. The danger level was assessed as high following confirmation by authorities of the presence of dangerous goods in certain container bays.

Crew Status and Port Operations

Fortunately, all 23 crew members were safely evacuated; there have been no reports of casualties.

By Saturday morning, the vessel had been towed out to sea to an anchorage area near the Angel’s Gate Lighthouse. Relocating the ship away from the berth allowed firefighting and cooling efforts to proceed more effectively while minimizing the risk of the fire spreading to port infrastructure.

Currently, the Port of Los Angeles has lifted the shelter-in-place order for residents. Port operations are gradually returning to normal, with four out of the seven container terminals having resumed activity.

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Source: Phaata.com (According to Splash247)

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