cruise ship catches fire 2022

Carnival cruise ship catches fire in Grand Turk

A Carnival cruise ship caught fire as it was docked in Grand Turk on Thursday morning, officials said. 

The fire, which broke out in the Carnival Freedom ship's funnel, was quickly extinguished as the ship was in Grand Turk, the capital island of the Turks and Caicos archipelago southeast of the Bahamas, a Carnival spokesperson said Thursday morning.

"All guests and crew are safe, and the ship’s guests were cleared by local authorities to go ashore. We continue to assess the situation," a spokesperson said in a statement about the fire at around 8:45 a.m. ET.

Just before 11 a.m., passengers were still on shore at Grand Turk.

The ship had left Port Canaveral in Brevard County, Florida, on Monday for a five-day cruise, officials said.

It's not yet clear what caused the fire.

According to the marine tracking site CruiseMapper , the ship, which was built in 2007, is 948 feet long and can accommodate over 3,500 passengers. 

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Carnival cruise ship catches fire in turks and caicos.

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Dramatic videos emerged on social media Thursday, showing flames and thick black smoke pouring out of the smokestack of a Carnival Cruise ship in the Turks and Caicos.

The cruise line confirmed that a part of Carnival Freedom caught fire after the ship docked at Grand Turk.

“Carnival Freedom’s emergency response team quickly activated and extinguished a fire inside the ship’s funnel while the ship was in Grand Turk,” company spokesperson Matt Lupoli told The Post in a statement. “All guests and crew are safe, and the ship’s guests were cleared by local authorities to go ashore.”

No injuries were reported and the ship was not evacuated during the emergency. The cause of the fire remains unknown at this time.

Still photos and cellphone recordings that have been circulating on Twitter depicted smoke billowing from the right fin of the smokestack, painted red, white and blue, as reported by ClickOrlando.

Carnival Freedom set sail from Port Canaveral, Florida, on May 23 on a five-day cruise. It is scheduled to return Saturday.

Carnival Freedom was launched in 2007. It measures 952 feet in length, has 13 decks and can accommodate up to 2,980 passengers and 1,150 crew.

At the time of the fire, the vessel was carrying about 2,500 passengers and 1,100 crew members, according to the cruise line.

Passenger Jenny Fleming told Florida Today that she and her mother were drinking coffee on a balcony as Carnival Freedom was docking at Grand Turk at around 7:30 a.m. local time, when some people on an adjacent ship, Carnival Mardi Gras , alerted them to the fire.

“Mom runs inside and calls 911, and we were apparently the first to report it,” Fleming said.

Firefighters were able to get the blaze under control, and the passengers got the all-clear at around 8:40 a.m.

The fire was reported around the same time as another Carnival Cruise ship, Carnival Magic, docked in Norfolk, Virginia , after passengers began vomiting and complaining of nausea caused by a chemical smell.

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Carnival Freedom cruise ship fire: ship's funnel catches fire, second time in 2 years

Fire on carnival freedom leads to other cruise cancelations.

Scary moments were caught on camera when passengers witnessed the Carnival Freedom cruise ship catch on fire. It’s the second time this has happened on this specific ship in two years.

Carnival had to cancel two upcoming voyages on its Carnival Freedom cruise ship after the ship's signature red and blue funnel exhaust pipe caught fire over the weekend, possibly due to a lightning strike, according to the mega cruise line. The damage was more severe than Carnival initial expected and had to cancel upcoming trips to make repairs to the ship.

It's the second time in two years that the funnel on this ship has caught fire.

Photos and videos shared with FOX 35 and on social media showed flames spewing out of the left side of the ship's exhaust funnel, as dark smoke billowed into the air. 

Carnival said the port side (left side) of the ship's exhaust funnel – easy to spot due to its tail-like shape – caught fire on Saturday as the cruise was sailing near the Bahamas. 

"Our onboard team acted quickly to contain and put out the fire.  While we continue to investigate multiple eyewitness reports of a lightning strike, our technical team completed a thorough assessment during the ship’s visit to Freeport on Sunday. Regrettably, the damage is more than we first thought and will require an immediate repair to stabilize the funnel, resulting in the cancellation of the March 25 and March 29 cruises from Port Canaveral," Carnival said in a statement.

The Carnival Freedom returned to Port Canaveral in Florida on Monday morning, where passengers were able to get off the ship. It will then sail back to the Freeport Cruise Port in The Bahamas for repairs.

 "We sincerely regret the impact to our embarking guests, as we know they have been looking forward to their spring break vacation. We are providing all guests on both cancelled cruises a full refund and a 100% future cruise credit so they can come back and enjoy a future cruise with us," Carnival said.

Carnival Freedom experienced a fire in 2022

Carnival freedom fire: cruise ship burns while docked at grand turk.

Part of Carnival's Freedom cruise ship caught fire Thursday morning while docked at Grand Turk in the Turks and Caicos Islands, the cruise line said, sending dark black smoke into the air.

It's not the first time that the Carnival Freedom has caught fire. Coincidentally, in 2022 while docked at Grand Turks, part of the ship's funnel also caught fire. That time, however, it was on the starboard side (the right side), according to photos shared with FOX 35 at the time. That's the opposite side compared this most recent incident.

In the 2022 incident, Carnival told FOX 35 in a statement that all guests and crew were safe. A second ship, Carnival Conquest, was sent to pick up the 2,500 passengers and 972-person crew. 

clock This article was published more than  1 year ago

Carnival ship catches fire, leaving passengers awaiting rescue cruise

Carnival freedom’s signature red, white and blue funnel was ablaze thursday.

A Carnival Cruise Line ship caught fire Thursday morning while docked in Grand Turk, leaving passengers stuck on the boat until another arrives on a rescue mission this weekend.

Carnival Freedom, which left Central Florida’s Port Canaveral on Monday for a five-day voyage, was in the Turks and Caicos cruise when the fire started in the ship’s signature red, white and blue funnel, which is shaped like a whale’s tail.

Carnival cruise on fire sheesh #carnivalfreedom #shiponfire #shipdown pic.twitter.com/n00l0HaFUV — That Panda Guy (@SantaPanda39) May 26, 2022

Passengers on other ships started posting photos and videos after 8 a.m. Carnival released a statement at 8:45 a.m. saying the ship’s emergency response team “quickly activated and extinguished a fire.” The Miami-based operator said everyone onboard — 2,504 guests and 972 crew — was safe. Passengers were allowed to leave the ship to spend the day in Grand Turk.

The cause of the blaze was not clear, and the cruise line did not say how much damage was caused.

But Carnival said in a statement Thursday afternoon that “all other ship, hotel, and guest services, along with safety equipment are fully functioning.” After an initial assessment of the damage, the company said the ship will go to Freeport, Bahamas, for repairs.

The blaze and its aftermath were a far cry from the infamous 2013 fire on the Carnival Triumph , which started in the engine room while the ship was at sea. In that case, the ship lost power and drifted. It became known as the “poop cruise” because of the waste disposal issues that result when a vessel with thousands of people onboard loses power.

#carnivalfreedom 👀 Not a way to wake up this morning at port aboard the #carnivalmardigras pic.twitter.com/aY0TPjfXvj — Justin Reavis (@reavis_justin88) May 26, 2022

The next Carnival Freedom cruise, scheduled for Saturday from Port Canaveral, has been canceled. Passengers will stay onboard while a sister ship, the Carnival Conquest, makes its way to Grand Turk from Miami to pick up passengers and bring them back to Port Canaveral on Monday. The next trip for that ship, scheduled to leave Friday, has also been canceled. The next Conquest voyage, which was intended to leave Miami on Monday, will instead depart Tuesday.

“Carnival apologized to all those guests who are impacted and offered special thanks to the crew who handled the situation on the ship effectively and according to safety protocols,” the company’s statement said.

The Freedom passengers’ situation is reminiscent of the experience guests had on the Norwegian Escape in March. In that incident, the ship ran aground and passengers ended up being flown home under sometimes-chaotic circumstances days later. Many who were stuck on land awaiting flights watched the ship depart without them.

More cruise news

Living at sea: Travelers on a 9-month world cruise are going viral on social media. For some travelers, not even nine months was enough time on a ship; they sold cars, moved out of their homes and prepared to set sail for three years . That plan fell apart, but a 3.5-year version is waiting in the wings.

Passengers beware: It’s not all buffets and dance contests. Crime data reported by cruise lines show that the number of sex crimes has increased compared to previous years. And though man-overboard cases are rare, they are usually deadly .

The more you know: If you’re cruise-curious, here are six tips from a newcomer. Remember that in most cases, extra fees and add-ons will increase the seemingly cheap price of a sailing. And if you happen to get sick , know what to expect on board.

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Guests and crew aboard Carnival Cruise ship that caught fire in Turks & Caicos safe, company says

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- The smokestack of a Carnival Cruise ship docked in the Turks & Caicos Islands caught fire on Thursday and officials allowed guests and crew members to go ashore as heavy smoke billowed into the air.

Carnival said in a statement that no one was injured during the incident in Grand Turk, although it was not immediately clear what caused the fire, which was filmed by passengers.

"All guests and crew are safe," the company said.

The Carnival Freedom had departed Florida on Monday for a five-day cruise.

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VIDEO: Carnival cruise ship catches fire in Grand Turk

by Garrett Phillips

GRAND TURK, Fla. (CBS12) — A Carnival cruise ship caught fire while in port in Grand Turk.

Video shared to CBS12 News from a viewer showed the funnel of the ship on fire, black smoke rising from the flames.

See also: Pilot who became incoherent during flight speaking out for first time

The video showed what looks like water from crews attempting to put out the flames.

The cruise ship departed from Port Canaveral on Monday.

Carnival released this statement to CBS12 News:

Carnival Freedom’s emergency response team quickly activated and extinguished a fire inside the ship’s funnel while the ship was in Grand Turk. All guests and crew are safe, and the ship’s guests were cleared by local authorities to go ashore. We continue to assess the situation. Carnival Freedom left Port Canaveral on Monday on a five-day cruise.

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Carnival cruise ship catches fire in grand turk, report says.

GRAND TURK – A Carnival cruise ship caught fire as it was docked in Grand Turk Thursday morning, officials said.

The fire broke out inside the Carnival Freedom ship’s funnel and was quickly extinguished as the ship was in the capital of Turks and Caicos, a Carnival spokesperson told NBC News Thursday morning.

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The company shared a  statement  about the fire around 8:45 a.m. ET.

“All guests and crew are safe, and the ship’s guests were cleared by local authorities to go ashore. We continue to assess the situation,” a spokesperson said.

Read the full report on NBC News.

Copyright 2022 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.

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Passengers aboard carnival cruise ship that caught fire return to port canaveral, cruise line sends separate ship to bring passengers back to florida.

Mark Lehman , Reporter

PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. – Passengers of a Carnival cruise ship that caught fire last week returned Monday to Port Canaveral on a different ship.

The Carnival Freedom was docked Thursday in Grand Turk when flames erupted from the smokestack, according to the cruise line.

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No one was injured in the fire, which caused heavy damage to the ship’s funnel.

The Carnival Conquest was sent to retrieve the passengers aboard Freedom, which was evacuated after the fire.

Matt Lupoli, Carnival Cruise Line’s senior manager of public relations, released a statement on Thursday.

“Carnival Freedom’s emergency response team quickly activated and extinguished a fire inside the ship’s funnel while the ship was in Grand Turk,” Lupoli said. “All guests and crew are safe, and the ship’s guests were cleared by local authorities to go ashore. We continue to assess the situation. Carnival Freedom left Port Canaveral on Monday on a five-day cruise.”

Pictures posted last week on Twitter show smoke and flames coming from the right fin of Freedom’s smokestack.

The ship was due to return to Port Canaveral on Saturday.

On Friday, Carnival said the May 28, June 2 and June 6 departures of the Carnival Freedom have been canceled.

After bringing passengers to Port Canaveral, Carnival Conquest will return to Miami and its departure will be delayed by one day to May 31, the cruise line said.

Carnival is giving passengers a $100 onboard credit, extending the beverage and Wi-Fi packages for those who bought them, and giving everyone a 50% future cruise credit. The company says it will also waive additional port parking fees and reimburse for independent air expenses up to $200 per person.

HAPPENING NOW: The Carnival Conquest is docking at Port Canaveral. Onboard are thousands of passengers who were on the Carnival Freedom when the ship’s funnel caught fire. pic.twitter.com/yGWaKhijfA — Mark Lehman (@MarkLehman6) May 30, 2022

Copyright 2022 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.

About the Author

Mark lehman.

Mark Lehman became a News 6 reporter in July 2014, but he's been a Central Florida journalist and part of the News 6 team for much longer. While most people are fast asleep in their bed, Mark starts his day overnight by searching for news on the streets of Central Florida.

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Carnival cruise ship that left port canaveral catches fire while docked in grand turk.

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Dark, black smoke was billowing out of the massive funnel wings of the Carnival Freedom as it was docked in Grand Turk.

The cause of the fire has not been made public and might take some time to figure out.

The Carnival Freedom, home-ported at Port Canaveral and left on Monday for a cruise down to the Caribbean.

Many of the passengers were onshore when the fire broke out, but one passenger on board said they were asked to put lifejackets on and assemble at muster stations.

Right across a narrow pier at Grand Turk is Carnival's sister ship, the Mardi Gras.

That’s where Jeremy Faulkner took a video of the fire Thursday morning when he saw the heavy smoke from his ship’s dining room.

“We saw debris falling too, so I was kind of scared that something might hit our ship and something might happen over here. Thankfully, all the crew members were keeping everybody calm and the chaos from spreading, but I was one of the first to see it, so it was pretty crazy,” Faulkner said.

WESH 2 News obtained video of the fire from a passenger identified as @Chester4x4 on Twitter.

No evacuations were ordered, and the passenger said he believed the situation was under control.

Freedom Cruiser - TURKS AND CAICOS. The fire fighting group managed to extinguish the flames from the exhaust system in an effective manner. no injured. congratulations for the teamwork. pic.twitter.com/Aw8sUwawDH — Chester4x4 (@Chester4x4) May 26, 2022

Another video shows a different perspective of the flaming cruise ship. "That is wild! The workers ain't worried though. They're just standing there," one man is heard saying on the video.

Carnival cruise on fire sheesh #carnivalfreedom #shiponfire #shipdown pic.twitter.com/n00l0HaFUV — That Panda Guy (@ThatPandeGuy) May 26, 2022

Carnival Cruise Line issued a statement Thursday morning saying the fire started in the ship's funnel.

No passengers nor crew were injured. The fire was extinguished by the ship's emergency response team.

Cruising expert, Stewart Chiron, has been on nearly 300 cruises and emphasizes safety briefings and procedures.

"This way people know exactly where to go in the event of an emergency, what to do, and they have announcements that direct passengers as to what's going on and where to go. This is exactly why, but it's so extraordinarily rare," Chiron said.

Carnival Freedom can hold up to 3,500 people and is 948 feet long.

In video sent to WESH, black smoke is seen streaming from the ship out to the sea while debris was falling, some of it landing on a lifeboat.

Faulkner could see the damage to the funnel and wings once the fire was put out.

“Some of the wing, most of it has fallen off on one side and on the other side you can see it charred up. It’s just crazy,” Faulkner said.

The Port Canaveral schedule has Carnival Freedom still returning Saturday morning at 7 a.m.

Watch CBS News

Carnival cruise ship catches fire for the second time in 2 years

By Emily Mae Czachor

Updated on: March 25, 2024 / 9:57 AM EDT / CBS News

A Carnival cruise ship will be out of commission for repairs for at least a week after its exhaust funnel caught fire and partially collapsed Saturday during a trip to the Bahamas. It marked the second time in just under two years that the funnel on this same ship, the Carnival Freedom, went up in flames while carrying passengers. 

What caused the most recent incident is still being investigated, according to the cruise company. No one on board the ship was injured, but Carnival said two fire crew members were treated for minor smoke inhalation.

The Carnival Freedom left from Port Canaveral, Florida, on Thursday and was supposed to travel for several days through the Bahamas before returning Monday to Port Canaveral. It was not immediately clear how many passengers and crew were on board the Freedom when the fire erupted, but the cruise ship can accommodate 2,980 guests and 1,150 crew members at capacity. CBS News contacted Carnival for more information.

The ship initially reported a fire at around 3:15 p.m. EDT on Saturday, on the port side of the ship's exhaust funnel as it sailed 20 miles off of the Bahamas' Eleuthera Island en route to Freeport, the company said in a statement. It had changed course to turn toward Freeport, at the northern tip of the island chain, after cancelling a stop farther south in Princess Cays because of bad weather. Eyewitnesses said that a lightning strike may have sparked the fire, a claim that Carnival said "is being investigated but cannot yet be confirmed."

A fire response team was activated quickly to put out the blaze once it broke out, as the Freedom's captain shifted the cruise liner toward the heavy rain nearby in hopes that would help. The fire was extinguished by 5:20 p.m., Carnival said, including flames from a portion of the funnel that broke off and fell onto one of the ship decks. Funnels are essentially used as smokestacks or chimneys to expel fumes and engine exhaust.

The U.S. Coast Guard said the Carnival Freedom crew was able to extinguish the fire Saturday without their help. They were aware of the fire, though, and issued a Captain of the Port order to the cruise ship before it was scheduled to enter Port Canaveral, Florida, on Monday. Captain of the Port orders are  broad mandates that the Marine Safety and Security Council describes as a tool granting Coast Guard crews "with operational controls over an emergent situation posing safety, security, or environmental risks."

 "We are continuing to monitor the situation," the Coast Guard said in a statement.

Although Carnival said at first that it did not expect the fire to impact trips on the Freedom cruise set to depart Port Canaveral on Monday and Friday, a technical assessment carried out in Freeport on Sunday revealed more significant damage to the ship than they originally thought. The damage would "require an immediate repair to stabilize the funnel" after disembarking guests in Port Canaveral on Monday, the company said in an updated statement following the assessment. 

"The funnel has been stabilized for the ship's return to Port Canaveral overnight to disembark guests, and then it will go to the Freeport shipyard on Monday afternoon to begin the required repairs," Carnival said on Sunday. "We sincerely regret the impact to our embarking guests, as we know they have been looking forward to their spring break vacation." 

Both Carnival Freedom cruises scheduled for this week have been cancelled. Carnival said guests who had booked those cruises would receive full refunds and future cruise credits.

The Carnival Freedom's exhaust funnel last went up in flames less than two years ago, in May 2022. It was in Grand Turk at the time, during a planned five-day trip from Port Canaveral. The ship had 2,504 guests and 972 crew on board, Carnival said at the time. None of the passengers or crew were hurt.

• Cruise Ship

Emily Mae Czachor is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. She covers breaking news, often focusing on crime and extreme weather. Emily Mae has previously written for outlets including the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed and Newsweek.

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Carnival Cruise Passenger Captures Ship Fire on Video After Reports of Lightning Strike

The incident marks the second time in two years this particular ship has caught fire. It has caused the cancellation of two upcoming voyages

A Carnival cruise ship’s exhaust funnel caught fire on Saturday during a trip to the Bahamas, causing the company to cancel its next two voyages.

This is the second time in less than two years that the Carnival Freedom, based in Port Canaveral, Fla., has been impacted by a fire.

"Regrettably, the damage is more than we first thought, and will require an immediate repair to stabilize the funnel, resulting in the cancellation of the March 25 and March 29 cruises from Port Canaveral," Matt Lupoli, Carnival Cruise Line's senior manager of public relations, told Florida Today in a statement. "The funnel has been stabilized for the ship’s return to Port Canaveral overnight to disembark guests, and then it will go to the Freeport shipyard on Monday afternoon to begin the required repairs."

PEOPLE has reached out to Carnival, but did not immediately hear back.

MALCOLM DENEMARK/FLORIDA TODAY / USA TODAY NETWORK (2)

While the cause of the fire is still being investigated, Carnival noted in a post on X Saturday that eyewitnesses reported the possibility of a lightning strike.

One of the cruise’s passengers, Heath Barnes, posted footage of the incident on Facebook Saturday afternoon.

In a statement to TMX, Barnes said it had been storming on and off and he was on one of the ship’s upper decks when he experienced “the loudest thunder and lightening [sic] I have ever heard.”

After he returned to his cabin for about 15 minutes, his nephew and two friends came to tell him the ship was on fire.

“I thought they were giving me a hard time but I got up and went out on the balcony and sure enough the flames and smoke was pouring out of the tail,” he continued, adding that he took the videos from his balcony before travelers were asked to stay indoors.

MALCOLM DENEMARK/FLORIDA TODAY / USA TODAY NETWORK

Carnival's brand ambassador John Heald addressed the incident on Facebook, acknowledging that those impacted by the cancellations “will be feeling very disappointed.” 

“And I want to add my apologies and my assurances that when you rebook using your full refund and your 100% future cruise credit, that the crew will be standing by to give you all the Fun you deserve,” he added.

In May 2022, the Carnival Freedom caught fire during a five-day cruise to Turks and Caicos.

At the time, Carnival Cruise Line verified that a fire broke out in the funnel of the ship while it was in Grand Turk.

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The company said its "emergency response team quickly activated and extinguished" the flames.

"All guests and crew are safe, and the ship's guests were cleared by local authorities to go ashore," Carnival added.

The 948-foot Carnival Freedom, built in 2007, can hold just over 3,500 passengers, according to Cruise Mapper .

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Carnival Freedom cruise ship catches fire for second time in less than 2 years

T he Carnival Freedom cruise ship experienced its second fire in less than two years, and passenger footage caught the flames with smoke coming from the ship's exhaust funnel Saturday afternoon. 

"That's nutty," X user @breezebreeze_ can be heard while showing the fire aboard the ship.

Carnival Cruise Line put out several tweet replies regarding the incident they say happened at 3:15 ET. 

"Carnival Freedom reported a fire on the port side of the ship’s exhaust funnel," one of the posts read. "The ship was 20 miles off Eleuthera Island, Bahamas, heading to Freeport after a canceled call to Princess Cay due to weather."

CARNIVAL FREEDOM CRUISE SHIP SEEN ON FIRE AT GRAND TURK

The news prompted passengers of the ship's upcoming departure from Port Canaveral on Monday to ask the cruise line if their itinerary would go off as planned.

READ ON THE FOX BUSINESS APP

"Is the cruise for the Carnival Freedom March 25 departing cruise from Port Canaveral still planning on going?" one X user asked Carnival. "We need to know for travel purposes!"

CARNIVAL JUBILEE CRUISE SHIP RESCUES 2 MEN STRANDED IN GULF OF MEXICO

"I can almost guarantee it'll be canceled," another X user wrote about the ship's next planned cruise. "This isn't the first time this has happened ironically to this ship, and the following sailing when it happened that time were canceled, but obviously not confirm[ed]."

Carnival quickly responded to quell any rumors, saying it does not expect any impact on the next Carnival Freedom voyage. 

COAST GUARD CALLS OFF SEARCH FOR MISSING CARNIVAL CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER

The Freedom's exhaust funnel caught fire in May 2022 while the ship was docked at Grand Turk Island in Turks and Caicos. Video from then also showed the ship’s funnel – referred to by some as the whale tail – consumed by flames and smoke. 

The part of the ship that caught fire is designed to help direct the flow of exhaust gases away from the ship, according to the Crown Cruise Vacations website. 

CARNIVAL CRUISE CREW MEMBERS HELP RESCUE 12 PEOPLE FROM OCEAN AFTER CARGO VESSEL CAPSIZES

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"The ship’s fire response team was quickly activated, and the ship’s captain also turned the vessel towards the heavy rain in the area to maximize the efforts to put out the flames," Carnival said about Saturday's fire. "Eyewitnesses reported the possibility of a lightning strike and that is being investigated."

Carnival said the captain made "multiple announcements to guests and crew" about the fire. The port side of the funnel fell onto Deck 10, Carnival said. No injuries were reported.

The Carnival Freedom was in Freeport as scheduled Sunday, according to CruiseMapper. Carnival said there are no operational issues with the ship’s systems.

Fox Business' Greg Norman contributed to this report. 

Original article source: Carnival Freedom cruise ship catches fire for second time in less than 2 years

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Carnival cruise ship that departed from Port Canaveral catches fire

A Carnival cruise ship that set sail from Port Canaveral in Florida caught fire on Thursday.

Carnival says the fire was quickly extinguished by emergency response teams, and that all guests and crew are safe. The ship’s guests were cleared by local authorities to go ashore. Carnival is continuing to assess the situation.

The @Carnival Freedom is on fire in Port at #GrandTurk #Carnival pic.twitter.com/7GgoWLG2Tc — Brian H (@Budman922) May 26, 2022

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The fire began around 3 p.m., with at least one boat on scene battling the blaze, by eric s. page • published april 25, 2024 • updated on april 26, 2024 at 10:06 am.

For day 2 coverage of the firefight to save the iconic Oceanside Pier, click here.

Firefighters were called out Thursday afternoon to battle an inferno at the far end of the iconic Oceanside Pier.

The fire was reported shortly after 3 p.m. and the firefight stretched overnight and into Friday .

A massive plume of smoke quickly filled the sky , and two fire-fighting boats arrived on scene shooting water cannons at the structure at the end of the pier, where it broadens to support two structures and is called the hammerhead. A lone lifeguard vehicle posted up at the foot of pier, with a long fire hose, possibly two, running the length of the pier.

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Although smoke obscured the scene, the building at the end of the pier was burning furiously. The structure was once the site of the Ruby's Diner, which has stood empty since the business closed three years ago. As SkyRanger 7 arrived overhead, smoke was blowing onshore the entire length of the structure.

"The Oceanside Fire Department is currently engaged in fighting a fire on the Oceanside Pier," OFD tweeted out at 3:14 p.m. "We are asking all citizens to please stay away from the immediate area."

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At 4 o'clock, a third vessel had joined the fight as well as a U.S. Coast Guard cutter, but smoke continued to pour out all sides of the two-story building as well as beneath the pier, with only a few flames actually visible. Over at the coast, people had started to congregate to watch the conflagration, with some posing for selfies with the historic structure aflame behind them.

Luckily for the crews working on the boats, the surf was only 2-3 feet, easing their efforts. High surf would have vastly increased the challenges fighting the fire.

Fifteen minutes later, Oceanside mayor Esther Sanchez told NBC 7 in a phone interview that "what we know is that the fire teams decided to do a defense tactic and not try to save the restaurant but save the rest of the pier."

At 4:21, a helicopter jointly operated by Cal Fire and the San Diego Sheriff's Department arrived to make a water drop on the structure fire, a very rare sight. By that time, the roof had collapsed on a small structure next to the old Ruby's building, which had been the location of a grab-and-go business called the Brine Box, and flames were starting to escape the confines of the much larger structure, with its roof beginning to visibly char.

PHOTOS: Fire erupts on Oceanside Pier

The firefighting chopper stayed on scene making multiple drops on the inferno, but the fire has resisted all attempts at extinguishing it. Around 4:35, San Diego Fire Rescue's new Triton firefighting vessel arrived to aid in the efforts. Carlsbad, Vista, North County Fire and Camp Pendleton have all sent ground crews to help out as well, officials told NBC 7.

Businesses and restaurants near the pier, including the Famous High Pie at the Top Gun House, were closed because of the on-shore winds carrying smoke and ash to the coastline, the pie shop's operator told NBC 7 around 4:45.

Speaking at a news conference at around 5 p.m., Oceanside fire chief David Parsons said lifeguards were the first to report the fire and firefighters arrived five minutes later. He also stated that the main body of the fire had essentially been knocked down and that they were now focusing on keeping it under control, though the deck was still burning, which is where firefighters were concentrating their efforts.

Despite being warned away, hundreds of people assembled along the coast to watch the fire and efforts to put it out.

"Still have a lot of work to do," Parsons said.

By 5:15, a second firefighting aircraft, this one operated by SDG&E and mostly used to battle brush fires, had been deployed for the pier fire as well, dropping as much as 2,500 gallons at a time. By 5:30 charred pieces of the pier had begun washing ashore.

At a second news conference held at 5:45, Parsons said that fire had been stopped at 15 feet just past the hammerhead.

"This is really, really good news," Parsons said, "and like I said, we think we have forward progress stopped there. What that means is that the vast majority of the pier itself is in good, undamaged condition."

Charred pieces of the pier began washing ashore by 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.

By 6 p.m., SkyRanger 7 showed a very different scene than when it arrived hours earlier. Smoke still blew at the scene, but was no longer billowing, with the plume was vastly diminished. Small flames could be scene burning here and there, but the fire, in the structure at least, seemed to be largely knocked down. The firefighting boats and Coast Guard cutter remained on station, water cannons still blasting.

Parson said crews would remain on scene into the night, looking for "hidden fire" or hot spots, to prevent the blaze from rekindling.

As of 10 p.m., crews were still battling active fire on the restaurant building and the pier and boats were still in the water, according to Chief Blake Dorse with the Oceanside Fire Department. However, officials believe the blaze will stay contained to the pier's end, in part because crews removed several planks of the pier and created a 5-foot trench going across the width of the pier to help stop the fire from spreading east.

Dorse said a large group will work overnight before another group returns in the morning.

Jessica Waite, the co-owner of the Brine Box, told NBC 7 that the business was open when the fire began.

“Chef Rachel saw smoke coming up from underneath the pier, behind the old Ruby’s building," Waite said. "Thankfully, everyone was evacuated safely. We are so sad to see this happening."

Last year,  the city of Oceanside spent $5.5 million  to upgrade aging pipes and electrical systems on the pier, which is 1,954 feet long. The wooden structure was first built in 1888 but has been destroyed twice in its lifetime, once in 1890 by rough seas and, after it was rebuilt, again in 1902.

Thursday's fire is not the first building to burn on the site: In 1976 "a fire broke out in the Pier Fish Market, located halfway out on the pier and in December the Pier Cafe was completely destroyed by fire," according to the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce. The current pier was built in 1987.

There were no immediate reports of any injuries. Sanchez, who said the city would rebuild, stated at the news conference that all employees had been accounted for.

Parsons, the fire chief, said that investigators were on the scene but that a cause may not be determined for days.

Check back here for updates on this breaking news — Ed.

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