Rear Adm. Philip E. Sobeck Commander, Expeditionary Strike Group Three, accounted July 16 that, after four days of firefighting, all known fires have been extinguished aboard USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6).

“Our fire teams are investigating every space to verify the absence of fire. Until every space is checked and there are no active fires we will not be able to commence any official investigations,” Sobeck said. “We did not know the origin of the fire. We do not know the extent of the damage. It is too early to make any predictions or promises of what the future of the ship will be.”

Sixty-three personnel, 40 U.S. Navy Sailors and 23 civilians were treated for minor injuries including heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation during the firefighting efforts. At this time, no personnel are hospitalized.

The Navy will investigate the cause of the fire.

Sobeck praised the efforts of all who worked to put the fire out.

“What we do know is that brave Sailors from commands all across San Diego worked tirelessly alongside Federal Firefighters to get this fire extinguished and I want to thank them for their efforts,” he said. “This was a Navy team effort. We had support from the air and sea. Three helicopter squadrons conducted more than 1,500 water bucket drops, fighting the fire and cooling the super structure and flight deck enabling fire crews to get onboard to fight the fire. Tugs also provided firefighting support from the waterline, cooling the ship’s hull.”

“I’d like to thank our partners from state and county, the U.S. Coast Guard, and all agencies for continued support,” he concluded.