Iran Press/America: A fire broke out aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard sometime around 9 a.m. local time, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD), which assisted in battling the fire along with base and shipboard firefighting teams. The blaze escalated to a third-alarm fire, the department said.
Eighteen sailors were transported to a local hospital for minor injuries, the Naval Surface Forces said. The entire crew is off the ship and accounted for, it said. All SDFD responders have also been accounted for, officials said.
The cause of the fire was under investigation. It wasn’t immediately known where on the 840-foot (255-meter) amphibious assault vessel the blast and the fire occurred.
The flames sent up a huge plume of dark smoke visible around San Diego.
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