Executive Summary
- A fire involving hazardous materials is burning on the container ship One Henry Hudson at the Port of Los Angeles.
- Mayor Karen Bass issued a shelter-in-place order for San Pedro and Wilmington due to smoke and air quality concerns.
- All 23 crew members are safe, and no injuries have been reported following a mid-deck explosion.
- The U.S. Coast Guard has established a one-nautical-mile safety zone around the vessel.
Authorities in Los Angeles have issued a shelter-in-place order for communities surrounding the Port of Los Angeles following a fire aboard a container ship carrying hazardous materials. The blaze, which erupted on Friday aboard the One Henry Hudson, continued to burn into the early hours of Saturday, prompting concerns regarding air quality and public safety.
According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the fire is believed to be electrical in nature. Officials stated that the flames originated below deck before spreading to multiple levels of the vessel, eventually causing an explosion mid-deck. Despite the intensity of the fire and the structural damage, all 23 crew members have been accounted for, and no injuries were reported.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued the shelter-in-place directive just before 3:00 a.m., specifically targeting the San Pedro and Wilmington neighborhoods. “Remain at home, keep windows closed and turn off HVAC systems,” Mayor Bass stated in an advisory published on X.
To mitigate maritime risks, the U.S. Coast Guard has established a safety zone extending one nautical mile around the vessel. More than 100 firefighters were deployed to the scene at the Port of Los Angeles, which serves as North America’s busiest seaport. The 1,102-foot vessel is operated by Singapore-headquartered One Ocean Express and had arrived from Japan with stops in Kobe, Nagoya, and Tokyo.
Public Safety and Environmental Monitoring
The persistence of the fire aboard the One Henry Hudson underscores the complex challenges associated with maritime firefighting, particularly when hazardous cargo is involved. As the shelter-in-place order remains active, the primary operational focus for local and federal agencies is the containment of toxic plumes and the protection of the densely populated coastal communities of San Pedro and Wilmington. Environmental monitoring teams will likely assess air quality levels continuously to determine when it is safe to lift the emergency directives and resume standard port operations.