Update at 5 p.m. ET: At least 18 people were hospitalized in the incident, Navy and fire officials have confirmed.
Naval Surface Force wrote that about 160 sailors were on board the vessel at the time, adding that “18 sailors have been transferred to local hospitals.”
Their injuries were described as non-life-threatening.
Authorities said the cause of the fire is still under investigation, it was reported.
Additional details were not provided.
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Fire officials in San Diego, California, said several people have been injured on board the warship USS Bonhomme Richard at the Naval Base San Diego following a fire and explosion.
“Explosion with at least one injury at the USS Bonhomme Richard,” the San Diego Fire Department wrote on Twitter. It added that authorities are “assisting on this fire on board the USS Bonhomme Richard. We are in unified command (partnered) with Federal Fire.”
San Diego Fire Department officials added that multiple agencies are responding to the scene.
According to 10News, the fire department later said several sailors are being treated for injuries.
Images captured from live streams show billowing smoke emitting from the ship and rising into the air.
It’s not clear how the fire or explosion started.
A witness told 10News that an explosion was heard right before the blaze occurred.
The USS Bonhomme Richard, which can deploy and land helicopters, smaller boats, and other vehicles, spent six years in Japan as part of the U.S. Forward Deployed Naval Force before it was sent to San Diego in 2018.
Naval Base San Diego spokesperson Krishna Jackson told The Associated Press that the fire was reported at around 9 a.m. local time. The cause of the fire is being investigated, Jackson added.
Jackson estimated that around 200 officers and sailors were on the ship Sunday morning.
Smoke rises from the USS Bonhomme Richard at Naval Base San Diego after an explosion and fire onboard the ship, on July 12, 2020. Denis Poroy/AP Photo
