Firefighters battling massive blaze on LA cargo ship rocked by huge explosion

@abc7la

BREAKING: A stubborn fire raging inside the bowels of a massive container ship continues to burn tonight. More than 100 firefighters are battling the blaze at the PortOfLA right now. Eyewitness News is live on the ground and in the air with the fierce firefight and new questions about what exactly is burning. Tonight at 11 from ABC7.

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Hundreds of firefighters were scrambled to a massive blaze aboard a cargo ship docked in the Port of Los Angeles.

Almost 200 first responders descended on the vessel on Friday night after a major emergency was declared.

All of the 23 crew members were evacuated and there were no injuries.

The ship was carrying hazardous cargo when an electrical fire broke out below deck.

The fire was first reported at around 6.38pm local time, per the Daily Breeze.

But by about 7 pm the fire had spread to several levels of the 1,102-foot-long ship ship, according to the fire department.

The blaze spread rapidly before the vessel was rocked by an explosion in the mid-deck, officials said.

Mayor of LA Karen Bass said: ‘A shelter in place order is in effect for communities surrounding the Port of Los Angeles, including San Pedro and Wilmington.’

‘Remain at home, keep windows closed and turn off HVAC systems. Emergency responders continue attacking the container ship fire.’

Firefighters were called to tackle a massive blaze aboard a cargo ship carrying hazardous materials on Friday

Firefighters were called to tackle a massive blaze aboard a cargo ship carrying hazardous materials on Friday

The vessel was docked at the Port of Los Angeles, North America's busiest port

The vessel was docked at the Port of Los Angeles, North America’s busiest port

Almost 200 firefighters were scrambled to the scene which was declared a major emergency

Almost 200 firefighters were scrambled to the scene which was declared a major emergency

The Port of Los Angeles is known as the busiest in North America.

The vessel, known as the One Henry Hudson, is operated by One Ocean Express, a shipping company headquartered in Singapore.

Before Los Angeles, the ship had most recently been in Japan, stopping in Kobe, Nagoya and Tokyo.

‘Ocean Network Express (ONE) has been alerted to a fire onboard the 2008-built Panama-flagged container vessel, M/V ONE HENRY HUDSON,’ a spokeswoman told Daily Mail.

‘ONE can confirm that the vessel is time-chartered and all crew have been safely accounted for.

‘ONE is deeply concerned by this incident and is closely monitoring the situation.

‘We thank first responders onsite and remain fully committed to supporting incident management and subsequent investigations.’