21 injured in fire on berthed US Navy amphibious ship

The US Navy confirms that a fire broke out on one of its ships moored at Naval Base San Diego, California, at 08:30 local time on Sunday, July 12.

The incident on the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard has left 17 sailors and four civilians with non-life-threatening injuries. All have since been brought to a local hospital for treatment.

At approximately 13:00, the nearby guided missile destroyers USS Fitzgerald and USS Russell shifted berths to a pier further away from the fire.

The navy has assured that the remainder of the crew are accounted for and that local, base, and shipboard firefighters were able to respond swiftly to contain the blaze.

An investigation has been launched to identify the events that led to the fire and to determine the extent of the damage suffered by the ship and nearby shore facilities.