Cargo ship and containers catch fire at Port of Los Angeles

A cargo ship and containers caught fire at the Port of Los Angeles on Friday night.

The Los Angeles Fire Department said an electrical fire started a little after 6:30 p.m. below deck of the container ship named 1 Henry Hudson. LAFD issued a shelter-in-place order for the area surrounding the fire, which was lifted at 6:30 a.m. Saturday.

"If you can smell it, you're going to want to stay indoors," LAFD Captain Adam Van Gerpen said. 

The California Highway Patrol closed all lanes of the Vincent Thomas Bridge until 5:20 a.m. Saturday because of the fire. The U.S. Coast Guard also established a 1-nautical-mile safety zone around the vessel.

LAFD sent more than 120 firefighters to the docked ship as police and customs officers attempted to get the crew off the 1100-foot ship. Firefighters said the entire crew has been accounted for and that no injuries have been reported.

Two crew members stayed on the ship to help firefighters navigate the vessel. However, LAFD commanders instructed firefighters that they could not go below deck.

Just before 8 p.m., an explosion near mid-deck cut the power to the ship, including the lights and crane operations. Crews are monitoring the ship's height relative to sea level, which remained stable in the early stages of the fire.

LAFD hazmat teams responded to the port to set up air quality monitors and handle the hazardous materials listed on the ship's manifest.

Firefighters have deployed thermal-imaging aircraft to track the flames. They have also deployed a FIRIS aircraft, which is typically used for wildfire mapping.  

LAFD said firefighters are slowly containing the flames. 

Crews moved the ship away from the port as it continued to burn into the following Monday.