Cargo Ship Blaze Becomes Long Fight Welding Gets Blame; Explosion Averted

About 100 Seattle firefighters spent most of Saturday fighting a two-alarm fire that broke out below deck on a cargo ship docked at the waterfront.

Firefighters had contained the fire by early evening but planned to spend the night making sure the fire was out, KIRO-TV said.

The crew was evacuated, and there were no reports of injuries.

Investigators believe the fire was ignited by welding that was going on below deck, said Georgia Taylor, spokeswoman for the Seattle Fire Department.

The 400-foot Manulani cargo ship docked Friday at the Matson Shipping Terminal at the waterfront’s south end. The 27-year-old ship is registered in San Francisco. No damage estimate was available.

The fire broke out shortly after 10 a.m., Taylor said, and there was concern about a potential explosion. Firefighters sprayed water on a half-ton container of liquid petroleum above deck.

Fire boats joined firefighters on land to fight the blaze.