One Firefighter Rescued, One Unaccounted for at NJ Ship Fire

July 6, 2023
One firefighter was removed from the ship around midnight as additional fire crews continued to respond to the ship fire in the Port of Newark.

Firefighters are working to rescue at least two firefighters who went down during a ship fire in Newark Wednesday night. 

The fire was reported in a multi-level ship docked on Marsh Street in Port of Newark before 10 p.m. Multiple reports on social media said the ship is filled with cars. 

According to scanner traffic on Broadcastify, one firefighter was rescued and outside the ship just after 12 a.m. local time. Once off the ship, they were transported to the hospital. 

During rescue efforts, additional maydays were sounded for firefighters with all those members being accounted within 20 minutes. Still, one firefighter remained missing.

Additional rescue and fire resources were summoned from Bayonne, Elizabeth, Hackensack, Hoboken, Jersey City, North Hudson Regional, Paterson, fire departments, as part of the state's Urban Area Search Initiative task force. FDNY Rescue 5, Squad 8 and an air supply unit were also dispatched to help.

Commanders were calling for thermal imaging cameras, 60-minute SCBA bottles, search ropes and battery-powered extrication equipment as crews arrived at the scene.

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