Thursday, February 28, 2008

Fire Aboard Fish Processor Extinguished

A fire that forced the evacuation of a fishing vessel in the Bering Sea has been extinguished, the U.S. Coast Guard said this morning. The vessel is headed slowly back to Dutch Harbor with a skeleton crew. The blaze on the 276-foot Pacific Glacier, a fish-processing vessel based out of Seattle, was first reported around 6:30 p.m.. About 90 crew members were evacuated to other fishing vessels, while a few remained onboard to fight the fire.The boat was about 136 miles northeast of Dutch Harbor when the fire began in the laundry room area. It was out by 5 a.m., the Coast Guard said. The boat is damaged but still able to move under its own power, Coast Guard Petty Officer Levi Read said. The evacuated crew will likely return to Dutch Harbor on other fishing boats, he said. The cause of the fire is still unknown.

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