Fire Sparked by Torch Erupts Aboard Tanker
Fire sparked by a welder’s torch erupted Monday aboard an empty oil tanker moored just inside the breakwater at Long Beach Harbor, authorities said.
The fire spewed out heavy black smoke but apparently caused no significant environmental damage and no injuries.
The fire broke out about 5:15 p.m. on the tanker Thompson Pass, and by 6:30 p.m. the ship’s crew, aided by Long Beach Fire Department boats and the Coast Guard, had extinguished the blaze.
The 906-foot supertanker was in the harbor’s D-4 anchorage just inside the breakwater, where it was undergoing routine repairs, authorities said.
The Coast Guard was still investigating, but Long Beach Fire Department spokesman Bob Caldon said a spark from a welder’s torch ignited residue in a hold used for carrying crude oil.
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