A fire aboard a U.S. warship was declared extinguished early Thursday, 12 hours after it started off Okinawa, Japan, with two sailors being treated for minor injuries.
The blaze on the USS New Orleans began around 4 p.m. Wednesday local time (3 a.m. ET) as the 684-foot amphibious transport dock ship was anchored near the White Beach Naval Facility, the Navy’s 7th Fleet said in a statement.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, it said.
Sailors battling the flames received assistance from the crew of the USS San Diego, a similar ship moored nearby, along with the Japanese military and coast guard.
Smoke coming from the USS New Orleans on Wednesday as water is sprayed to help put out the fire off the southern Japanese island of Okinawa.Japan Coast Guard / /AFP via Getty Images
The Navy said the crew will remain on the USS New Orleans, which was commissioned in 2007 and can carry as many as 800 personnel.
The incident comes five years after a devastating blaze consumed the USS Bonhomme Richard in San Diego, injuring more than 60 sailors and civilians. A sailor who was accused of intentionally setting fire to the $1.2 billion warship was acquitted in 2022.
The fire, which burned for five days in July 2020, prompted a Navy investigation that found widespread failures in leadership and training.
AloJapan.com