Cruise Ship Catches Fire Off Florida

MIAMI BEACH —  More than 2,500 passengers who boarded Carnival Cruise Lines’ luxury ship Ecstasy for a four-day “Fun Ship” vacation quickly found themselves strapped into life jackets, huddled on the top deck and having no fun at all Monday after a shipboard fire stopped the vessel dead in the water just 1 1/2 miles off shore.

Roiling black smoke from a blaze that began in the crew’s laundry room billowed into the blue sky soon after the 855-foot vessel cleared the port of Miami and headed for what was to have been a first-leg cruise to Key West. The ship was then scheduled to call in Cozumel, Mexico.

The fire was extinguished about 90 minutes after it began when a Coast Guard vessel and several tugboats arrived to pour water into at least four compartments that were filled with flames. The fire burned parts of three lower decks.

About 60 passengers were being treated aboard the ship for mild smoke inhalation, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Veronica Bandrowsky. Another passenger was treated for chest pains.

Bandrowsky said eight crew members had to be taken off the ship by helicopter for treatment of more serious smoke inhalation. Two crewmen from one of the firefighting tugboats also required medical care because of the smoke.

The Coast Guard first spotted the blaze and radioed the captain, Petty Officer Jeff Murphy said.

“They were not aware at the time of the smoke,” which was blowing in the opposite direction of the bridge, he said.

The lifeboats aboard the ship were not lowered and no passengers were evacuated.

Before leaving the dock, passengers “had completed a normal lifeboat drill; they were well trained, and an hour later they did it as a precautionary measure in real circumstances,” said Carnival president Bob Dickinson. In a press conference at the port, Dickinson praised the passengers and crew as “calm, cool and collected.”

“It was a very stubborn fire,” he added.

About two hours after the fire broke out, the Ecstasy was being towed back into port. Dickinson said the engines were operable, but were shut down as a precaution.

The drama was clearly visible from the beach, where thousands watched from the sand or from high-rise hotels and condominiums. Millions had an even better view over live television as news helicopters hovered overhead. Local TV stations made phone contact with passengers, at times offering them information about what was going on several decks below.

“I think they’ve gotten control of it,” passenger George Gonzalez told WSVN-TV anchorman Rick Sanchez at one point.

“No, George,” replied Sanchez, seeing flames raging in the live camera shot. “I’m sorry to tell you the fire is still burning.”

Passengers reported no panic. “I can’t really see fear on their faces. More disappointment,” said another passenger, identified as Ivan Taylor. “There are many children aboard.”

Indeed, the scene from above the stricken ocean liner was eerily reminiscent of one from the blockbuster film “Titanic,” which has boosted the popularity of ocean cruising. The passengers, all wearing identical red life vests, stood quietly at their assigned lifeboat stations, awaiting instructions. But there were no orders to abandon ship--and certainly no icebergs. The temperature of the ocean off Miami Beach is 87 degrees.

The fire was not the first aboard the Ecstasy. In July 1996, a small electrical fire broke out as the ship was returning to Miami. One of its two engines was shut down, and there were no injuries.

A year earlier, a second Carnival ship, the Celebration, was left adrift for two days after a fire in the control room knocked out power. Until repairs were made, about 1,760 passengers went without plumbing, air conditioning and hot meals. Some camped out on deck.

Dickinson said all passengers would receive refunds and a voucher for a free cruise. Passengers could opt to stay aboard the ship in port Monday night, he said, or be shuttled to a hotel.

A 10-member team from the National Transportation Safety Board was en route to Miami to investigate the blaze.

Times researcher Anna M. Virtue contributed to this story.