U.S. Coast Guard personnel on the Great Lakes fought a fire on a commercial vessel in Ashtebula on Friday afternoon, according to a social media agency statement.
"I've worked here for 40 years and I've never seen anything like this," said De White.
Thick black smoke that once obscured the sky over Ashtebula has now dissipated, as numerous agencies in Ashtebula County and surrounding communities worked to extinguish the flames.
"The smoke filled the sky, I thought several boats were on fire," said White.
According to USCG Great Lakes, the Cuyahoga vessel was performing preparations for the upcoming navigation season when the fire broke out.
An initial investigation determined that the fire was caused by welding, which ignited paint on the inside of the cargo hatch on Friday around 2:00 PM and took about three hours to extinguish, USCG Great Lakes reported.
The Cuyahoga is one of the oldest ships still traveling the Great Lakes.
From there, according to search and rescue coordinator Paul Angiello, the fire spread to the main deck and eventually ignited the conveyor belt.
" thanks to the prompt actions of the Ashtebula County rescue service, firefighters from Ashtebula County arrived on scene and extinguished the fire," said dispatcher Paul Angiello.
Angiello said the vessel's owner and crew are safe, and there are no threats to nearby residents.
"The fire has been extinguished, everyone is safe, environmental impact was minimal, no product leaks occurred. There is also no cargo on board the vessel," Angiello said.
According to Paul, until marine engineers and architects conduct further assessments of the damage caused by the fire, it is difficult to evaluate the condition of the vessel and overall destruction.
"Currently, Coast Guard investigators and inspectors are onboard examining the vessel and trying to better understand the causes and consequences of the fire, for example, how it started," said Angiello.
Fire crews will remain on site in case of re-ignition of any hot spots.
