Los Angeles Containership Fire: Blaze Contained Aboard One Henry Hudson After Days-Long Battle

The U.S. Coast Guard announced Tuesday that active firefighting operations have ceased aboard the containership One Henry Hudson after crews successfully contained a fire that broke out while the vessel was moored at the Port of Los Angeles last Friday.

“Now that the fire is determined to be contained there will be a waiting period to ensure no re-flashes, or heat signatures are detected,” said U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Stacey Crecy, Incident Commander. “Because the containers were not able to be opened to confirm the fire is completely out, there remains some risk. However, mitigating measures have been put in place to respond to any issues that may arise.”

The incident began Friday evening when fire erupted in hard-to-reach lower-deck compartments while the vessel was berthed at the port. All 23 crew members were safely evacuated with no injuries reported.

The response drew nearly 200 Los Angeles City firefighters, supported by Long Beach Fire, the Coast Guard, Port Police, and Cal OES. A mid-ship explosion late Friday knocked out the ship’s power, forcing crews to retreat and fight the blaze from the pier.

After hazmat risks were identified, Unified Command ordered the vessel undocked and moved offshore in a major overnight operation. By early Saturday, the ship was anchored approximately one mile off Angel’s Gate Lighthouse, where boundary cooling, container-by-container suppression, and stability assessments continued.

Salvage group DONJON-SMIT has taken temporary possession of the vessel and is conducting salvage operations. The salvage group, along with local partners, is reviewing a plan to safely return the ship to an approved facility at the Port of Los Angeles.

“Now that there is no active firefighting on-going, we can look forward to the next steps in bringing the ship back to the pier safely and removing the cargo in a controlled state at the approved facility,” Crecy said.

No firefighting water has been discharged from the vessel into surrounding waters. All used firefighting water is being contained inside the cargo hold and will be offloaded under Coast Guard supervision and transported via barge or truck to a waste reception facility.

“Everyone from the salvage operations to the Unified Command and all the supporting agencies are working together to ensure safety of the community, the Port and the response crew,” said Los Angeles Port Police Department Captain Dan Cobos, Incident Commander.

Air quality monitoring continues 24/7 throughout the port area, with readings remaining within federal and state safety limits. A temporary shelter-in-place advisory for San Pedro and Wilmington was issued and later lifted. Real-time air quality updates are available on the Port’s monitoring site.

The Coast Guard and Port of Los Angeles Police Department continue to enforce a safety zone around the vessel, with a temporary flight restriction remaining in place. A half-mile safety zone surrounds the anchored vessel.

Salvors are focusing on cargo hold 03, now estimated to be 80% flooded from initial firefighting efforts, with no current concerns about vessel stability reported.

The incident triggered temporary shutdowns at four of seven container terminals and closures on State Route 47 due to smoke, though port operations have since resumed. The Coast Guard and National Safety Transportation Board are investigating the cause of the fire.

The Unified Command consists of the U.S. Coast Guard, Port of Los Angeles Police Department and a representative of the containership. The Los Angeles Fire Department continues to support and stand by to assist when needed.

Read Next:

Subscribe for Daily Maritime Insights

Sign up for gCaptain’s newsletter and never miss an update

— trusted by our 107,044 members