Seven Injured After Fire Aboard Nuclear Sub in Maine
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U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jhi L. Scott(KITTERY, Maine) — Seven people were injured Wednesday evening after a fire broke out aboard a nuclear-powered submarine docked at a shipyard in Kittery, Maine.
Firefighters responded to the blaze at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard around 5:41 p.m., the U.S. Navy said in a statement. The fire broke out in the forward compartment of the USS Miami, which houses crew living areas and command and control spaces, and did not pose any nuclear danger.
“The ship’s reactor was not operating and remains in a safe and stable condition as it has been throughout the event,” Capt. Bryant Fuller, the shipyard commander, told reporters Wednesday night.
All personnel have been accounted for, according to the Navy. Those wounded — three Portsmouth Naval Shipyard firefighters, two ships force crew members, and two civilian firefighters — were all treated for minor injures and have been released, Rear Adm. Rick Breckenridge announced at a press conference Thursday morning.
Fuller said a full investigation will be conducted to determine the cause of the fire.
The shipyard is expected to remain open for work on Thursday.
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