Authorities said Monday night that an explosion rocked a coal-carrying cargo ship in Baltimore, resulting in a fire and a jet of smoke into the sky, but no one was hurt.
According to Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Matthew West, the fire was put out on the still-moving vessel after firefighters from the city of Baltimore and U.S. Coast Guard crews responded to the scene.
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He said investigators were looking into what caused the explosion and the fire that followed. The ship, which authorities said is called W-Sapphire, was still emitting black smoke, according to video taken at the scene.
According to West, the cargo ship was transporting coal in a passage that left Baltimore Harbor, close to the location of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse that occurred last year.
Baltimore City Fire Department officials said in a statement that the site is in the “Patapsco River near the former Key Bridge site.”
It stated that there were 23 passengers on the 751 “bulk carrier” and that no injuries had been reported. But the ship was “displaying damage consistent with a fire and explosion.”
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The incident was reported at approximately 6:30 p.m., according to the Coast Guard and fire department.
The cargo ship was surrounded by a 500-yard safety zone maintained by authorities. Vessel travel via the main shipping channel, which has been described as 700 feet wide, may be prevented as a result.
Six persons, including road workers who had been on top of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, were killed when a cargo ship slid against it on March 26 and caused a partial collapse.
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