Electrical Fire Sparks Aboard Ship at Port of San Diego

An electrical fire sparked aboard a ship docked at the Port of San Diego Sunday afternoon, the San Diego Fire Department confirmed.

Just after 2:30 p.m., officials reported a second-alarm fire burning below deck of the research vessel  "Discovery" docked at the Tenth Avenue Terminal located at 802 Terminal St.

Crews battling the fire said ventilation was a major challenge. The fire was knocked down within half and hour, officials said.

There were more than two dozen people aboard the ship when the blaze broke out, however everyone escaped safely and no injuries were reported.

Tanya Castaneda with the Port of San Diego said the electrical fire did not impact the San Diego Bay.

"This was an electrical fire, and that meant that there weren't any chemical implications for the bay," she said.

The research ship is from Scotland and arrived in San Diego on Wednesday to conduct research off the coast of Mexico. The ship was slated to stay in San Diego until Oct. 16, and there's no word on whether that date has been pushed back due to the fire.

The U.S. Coast Guard is now taking over the investigation into the cause of the electrical fire.

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