July 13, 2020

Anna Murray 

Explosion and fire broke out in the USS Bonhomme Richard, an amphibious assault ship that usually has a crew of 102 officers and about 1,000 sailors, on the morning of July 12 while undergoing maintenance in San Diego. The US Navy stated 34 sailors and 23 civilians were treated for minor injuries after an explosion and fire on the ship while there were 160 people on board at the US Naval Base in San Diego.

It was unclear what started the fire. The fire first originated in the lower vehicle storage area, a huge open area for storage of marine equipment and everything else. Fortunately, there was no ordnance on board. The cause of the explosion was also unclear. Rear Admiral Philip Sobeck told journalists a sort of a backdraft or over-pressurization happened as the blaze started heating up.

Federal Fire San Diego Division and US Navy firefighting crews have been continuously combating the fire in order to find the seat of the fire and extinguish it by clearing compartment spaces in order to close in on the fire. The fire was reportedly still burning on July 13 that military and civilian firefighters were still trying to save the vessel from the rescue.