By KONSTANTIN TOROPIN
Associated Press
Last week's fire on an aircraft carrier lasted hours and destroyed dozens of bed, according to Associated. Press sources.
The non-combat fire in the laundry room of the Navy’s newest and largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, rendered more than 100 beds unusable and led to about 200 sailors being assessed for smoke inhalation, two military officials told The Associated Press.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the details with the media, said that the fire was extinguished in a few hours, while broader damage control efforts took around 30 hours. Sailors spent the bulk of that time watching for flareups, draining water, and clearing damage.
The officials said the damage caused by the blaze meant that some sailors had to sleep in temporary accommodations, like cots.
All the impacted crew have returned to duty except for one sailor that was evacuated from the ship Friday. The Navy said they were in stable condition.
The New York Times was the first to report details about the fire.