NEWARK — The Newark Fire Department, the Coast Guard, and multiple state and area agencies are continuing their response to a fire in Port Newark on the vehicle carrier ship, Grande Costa D’Avorio.
Coast Guard watch standers at Sector New York received an initial call of a fire on the multi-level vessel at 9:38 PM.
A Coast Guard response boat out of Station New York, along with prevention and response teams, joined multiple area agencies as part of a unified response to the ongoing incident.
There have been no reports of crew members injuries on the ship, however two Newark firefighters were fatally injured while responding to the fire.
"Coast Guard is actively involved with the joint response and focused on the safety of responders, as well as assessing overall impact on the maritime transportation system and the environment," said Capt. Zeita Merchant, the commander of Coast Guard Sector New York and captain of the port of New York and New Jersey. “Our thoughts are with Newark Fire Department, our partner agencies and the families of the firefighters lost during this response. These responders are working in inherently dangerous hazardous conditions when incidents of this nature occur, and their loss is truly tragic.”
Responders continue to fight the fire and a determination of environmental impact will be made once it is under control.