Crew Evacuated After Fire On Container Ship At Los Angeles Port

By Rajveer Pardesi and Rishabh Jaiswal

Nov 21 (Reuters) – All crew members have been evacuated from the container ship One Henry Hudson after a fire and explosion disrupted the vessel’s power and crane operations at San Pedro port on Friday, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. 

Hazardous materials have been identified in several bays at the port, and firefighters are wearing protective gear and using self-contained breathing equipment. 

Marine units continue cooling the ship’s exterior, with no personnel allowed below deck, the LAFD said. TV footage from an ABC affiliate shows firefighting boats shooting streams of water on the ship’s sides and over containers on fire on the deck. 

Four of the port’s seven container terminals have suspended operations and a waterside safety zone has been established around the vessel, port officials said. 

LAFD said it has issued a shelter-in-place order for San Pedro and Wilmington due to a hazardous materials incident resulting from the container ship fire. 

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said residents in areas under the order should remain at home with their windows closed and AC systems turned off. 

The One Henry Hudson sails under a Panama flag and arrived in Los Angeles on Wednesday from Tokyo’s Shinagawa port, according to LSEG data. 

California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office in an X post said that it is coordinating with local authorities to support first responders. 

Mayor Bass said more than 100 firefighters are working to suppress the fire and air quality is being monitored.

The vessel is berthed at the Yusen Container Terminal, the Port of Los Angeles said in a statement.

No injuries have been reported, and fire suppression efforts are ongoing. 

(Reporting by Rajveer Singh Pardesi and Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Editing by William Mallard and Tom Hogue)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2025.

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