Oregon firefighters were battling flames on board the vessel St. Clair at the Port of Toledo, on February 16. The ship was moored in the Port for winter season repairs. No one was aboard, and there was no cargo on the vessel at the time of the fire.
Namely, watchstanders in the US Coast Guard Sector Detroit Command Center were notified of the fire by members of US Coast Guard Station Toledo. USCG responded along with fire fighters from eight local fire departments.
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The fire took place on the stern of the 762-foot vessel, which was moored in the Port of Toledo for winter season repairs. No one was on board at the time, and there was no cargo on the vessel as well. The fire was fought mostly using water from water tank trucks, while Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) was also used overnight and will be cleaned up by vacuum trucks.
Now the fire is under control, with preventative measures continuing to be applied on nearby ships using water-cooling techniques.
Moreover, the USCG performed a pollution assessment of the Maumee River after the fire. Specifically, a helicopter crew and a pollution responder, aboard a helicopter carried out an aerial observation of the area on February 17 and found no pollution in the Maumee River. Pollution Responders from US Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Toledo also went to the scene to observe and assess the situation for any signs of pollution on the river, and remain on scene.
The owner of St. Clair, the American Steamship Company contacted the National Response Corporation. The NRC then contracted Marine Pollution Control to be on scene and be ready to respond to any possible pollution.
The current priority is to mitigate any environmental damage and to prevent any pollution
Finally, the US Environmental Protection Agency has also conducted air quality tests near the ship and the air is clear of pollution.
