Aug. 18 (UPI) -- An explosion occurred Monday evening aboard a 751-foot bulk carrier in Baltimore's Patapsco River, near where the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in March 2024.
The explosion was reported to the Baltimore City Fire Department at around 6:30 p.m. EDT, the fire department said in a statement. Officials have identified the craft as the W. Sapphire, which, according to marine traffic website MarineTraffic.com, is a Liberia-flagged Class A bulk carrier that was to depart Baltimore, Md., shortly before 6 p.m. Its destination was Port Louis in the East African nation of Mauritius.
Unverified video of the incident published online shows an explosion on the vessel ejected a large fireball into the air. Once the smoke cleared, a fire on deck could be seen.
The Baltimore fire department said the vessel sustained damage "consistent with a fire and explosion." It remained afloat and was being assisted by tugboats.
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