Fire crews rushed to the scene in the Patapsco River in Baltimore, US, after the horror was reported in the water, near the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge site
A cargo ship was engulfed in a huge fireball just metres from where a boat crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge and caused it collapse. The coast guard was scrambled on Monday night after the 700ft wide coal freighter burst into flames in a dramatic explosion.
Fire crews rushed to the scene in the Patapsco River in Baltimore, US, after the horror was reported. Dramatic photographs show the W-Sapphire ablaze in the river, near the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge site.
Thick black smoke can be seen billowing into the air above the still-moving vessel. No injuries have been reported, fire chiefs said.
In a statement, the Baltimore City Fire Department described the location as being in the “Patapsco River near the former Key Bridge site”, adding the incident was reported about 6.30pm local time.
It said 23 people were on board the 751 “bulk carrier” and that none were injured in the fireball horror. The vessel, however, was “showing signs of damage consistent with a fire and explosion.”
Authorities were maintaining a 500-yard safety zone around the cargo ship. That could preclude vessel traffic through the main shipping channel, which has been described as being 700ft wide.
Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Matthew West said the fire was extinguished and an investigation has been launched into the cause of the blast. Local media report the vessel left Baltimore on Monday, 18 August at 5.5pm and was en route to Mauritius’s Port Louis.
The fire broke out near the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed after being struck by a container ship while vehicles were travelling across it.
Horrifying footage, captured by a YouTube live stream, showed the cargo vessel ploughing into the bridge, sending the 9,000ft steel structure crashing into the Patapsco River, shortly before 1.30am local time on March 26, 2024.
Fire crews said at least 20 construction workers were on the bridge at the time of the crash, with emergency services desperately trying to rescue those in the water. Six people died in the horror and the city’s port was closed for six months in the wake of the crash.
The bridge, which opened in 1977, cost $141 million to build, the equivalent of $553 million in today’s money. Officials in the US announced plans to build a replacement bridge by late 2028 at an estimated cost of $1.7 billion to $1.9 billion.
Work on the new bridge started in January after the approval by Congress of the December 2024 continuing resolution which included $2 billion in funding.
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