Wreckage of capsized cargo ship catches fire off Georgia coast
A fire broke out on a wrecked cargo ship off the Georgia coast Friday afternoon as crews continued salvage operations.
No one was injured, the Associated Press reported.
The Golden Ray capsized in September 2019 near St. Simons Island, about halfway between Savannah, Ga., and Jacksonville, Fla. All 24 people aboard were rescued. The 4,000 cars it was carrying were not.
Workers have been cutting the 650-foot vessel to pieces, to be carried out of the ocean on barges. The crew was using cutting torches Friday afternoon when the fire started, according to the AP.
A live Facebook video set up to monitor the operation showed smoke pouring out late Friday afternoon. Water cannons were being used to put out the blaze.
The fire is possibly fueled by leftover petroleum on the ship, meaning the ocean “won’t do much to extinguish the fire itself. Unless you smother it, you’re not going to put it out,” maritime attorney Rod Sullivan told Jacksonville news station WJXT.
The wrecked ship has caught fire before, but Friday’s incident was the largest blaze so far, according to WJXT. The salvage operation began in November 2020.
