Coast Guard officials leading the investigation into an electrical fire on board the container ship One Henry Hudson reported on Tuesday, Nov. 25, that while the fire has been contained, it remains under close watch.
While no “active firefighting” is now taking place, said U.S Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Mark Leahey, with Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach, officials are waiting and watching closely to “ensure there are no re-flashes.”
The ship, he said in a telephone interview, remains at anchorage outside the breakwater at the Port of Los Angeles — roughly 2 to 3 miles from shore.
“We’re working on a couple plans for what happens next,” he said.
On board the 1,100-foot vessel from Japan are some 2,800 twenty-foot-equivalent units — a measure for containers — including some below deck. The contents were described as general cargo, but Leahey did confirm that shipments of lithium batteries were included.
Lithium ion batteries have the potential to overheat, catch fire and cause explosions. Those fires are also difficult to extinguish. In September 2024, for example, a big rig carrying lithium ion batteries overturned and on Terminal Island, spilling its contents. It had to be moved to a secure location on Terminal Island. That fire continued to burn through the day and the cargo continued emanating heat the following day.
The container ship, meanwhile, arrived in port on Friday night and cargo had begun to be unloaded at Yusen Terminal, moored at Berth 218, when the fire erupted, followed by an explosion that was reported mid-deck. Two cruise ships were berthed nearby.
The fire was reported at 6:38 p.m. Friday at 701 E. New Dock St. in San Pedro, drawing a heavy emergency response from the Los Angeles Fire Department, including HazMat, Urban Search and Rescue and Air Operations units, according to department spokesperson Lyndsey Lantz.
Fire was visible on several levels of the vessel as crews worked to confirm that all 23 memberson board were accounted for and safely off the ship while identifying the fire’s source and working to contain it.
Port Police and Customs personnel helped get crew members off the ship, Lantz said. The explosion was reported at 7:58 p.m., disrupting power to the ship, including lighting and crane operations. By 8:27 p.m., the final five crew members were assisted off the vessel, and all crew were accounted for, Lantz said.
Crew members have remained in the area and assisted firefighters as the ship was taken outside the breakwater early the following morning, where water continued to be poured onto the vessel to help cool it.
A shelter-in-place order was announced in the area shortly afterward, but was lifted the next morning.
LAFD HazMat teams monitored air quality as suppression efforts continued in the ship’s sub-levels, where access remained difficult. The shelter-in-place order was issued north of Point Fermin, between South Western Avenue and State Route 103 for both San Pedro and nearby Wilmington, the LAFD reported.
The port reopened for business Saturday after the community shelter-in-place order was lifted.
Among immediate concerns. Leahey said, were air quality, which could have included carbon monoxide in the case of fire.
“The Port Police Hazmat team is providing live air monitoring from four strategic locations throughout the port using air mobile with a live feed into the Department Operations Center,” Chief Greg McManus, Los Angeles Port Police deputy chief, said. “Air quality has remained at or below federal and state safety thresholds. We’ll continue to track these levels as work on the vessel moves forward.”
No impacts have been detected outside of the established safety zone, officials said. Real-time air quality updates can be found on the port’s air-quality monitoring site.
Monitoring was in place to measure contaminants, Leahey said, but none was detected as of when the ship was taken outside the breakwater.
The alert called on residents to close windows if they smelled smoke.
“I think it made people think about what we’re bringing into the port,” said Yolanda Regalado, who owns Sirens Java & Tea in the downtown area, close to the harbor. She also serves as chair of the San Pedro Historic Waterfront Business Improvement District.
Just a few months ago, 75 containers fell from the vessel Mississippi in the Port of Long Beach. No one was hurt but the incident, which is still under investigation, served as a reminder of the dangers that can surround the shipping industry.
What caused an estimated 75 containers to fall from the Mississippi remains unknown and under investigation, officials said.
And longtime residents of San Pedro still recall the Sansinena tanker explosion that blew out windows on Dec. 17, 1976 — killing nine and injuring dozens more.
For now, Leahy said, plans are underway to determine what to do with the remainder of the cargo on board and the vessel itself as emergency crews continue keeping a close watch on the ship to make sure the fire danger has passed.
“Safety is our top priority in addressing this incident,” Capt. Stacey Crecy, Coast Guard incident commander, said in an update released by the Coast Guard on Tuesday. “We are closely monitoring air quality, maintaining safety zones and coordinating with all agencies to ensure this incident remains isolated and the public remains protected.”
City News Service contributed to this report.