FIRE AT SEA: WAKE-UP CALL AVERTS A MARINER\’S NIGHTMARE

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Barry Bena

On the evening of July 27, 2015, while much of the public attention was focused on thousands of firefighters battling wildfires in the western United States, the crew of a 738-foot Maltese bulk freighter fought a fire in the engine room of their ship some 120 miles off the coast of California. When one of the generators onboard the motor vessel Maribella caught fire, an automatic mist system activated, and the ship\’s crew quickly donned their firefighting gear and extinguished the blaze.