A fire that broke out over the weekend on a military ship that was officially extinguished on Thursday, according to the Navy, the cause of the multi-day fire is still unknown.
All known fires on the USS Bonhomme Richard were put out, four days after the flames first erupted on Sunday, Rear Admiral Philip Sobeck, Commander, Expeditionary Strike Group Three, said in a statement. The extent of the damage, as well as what started the fire, is still unknown.
“This was an effort by the Navy team. We had support from the air and from the sea, ”said Sobeck’s statement. “Three helicopter squadrons carried out more than 1,500 bucket falls, fought the fire and cooled the superstructure and flight deck allowing fire crews to get on board to fight the fire.”
As of Monday, 17 sailors and four civilians were injured, but Sobeck said Thursday that 63 people, 40 Navy sailors and 23 civilians, have been treated for minor injuries, including heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation.
Authorities are still working to confirm that there are no more active fires aboard the ship and will begin an investigation into what happened to start the fire. Sobeck told reporters Monday morning that initial reports indicated the pressurization caused the blasts, but did not elaborate on the details.
The Bonhomme Richard is an amphibious assault ship, working to deploy elements of a Navy landing force. San Diego became the home of the ship in 2018 after it was docked for six years in Japan, according to the U.S. Naval Institute.
Krishna Jackson, public affairs officer for the San Diego Naval Base, told NBC San Diego on Sunday that the ship had undergone a regular maintenance cycle before the fire was reported.
The ship’s future is unknown, Sobeck said, as the Navy evaluates how badly the fire affected the USS Bonhomme Richard.
Mosheh’s Earnings contributed
