Fire on USS Antietam hurts 13 sailors

Sept. 29 (UPI) -- A small fire on the guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam last week injured 13 sailors, the Navy said Tuesday.

The 13 sailors were hurt while responding to the fire, 7th Fleet spokesperson Cmdr. Reann Mommsen said in an email to Stars & Stripes.

They were treated by the ship's medical team and have returned to duty, Mommsen said.

"Crew members quickly extinguished the fire with no damage to engineering equipment and Antietam remains fully operational," Mommsen said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, according to the Navy Times.

The USS Antietam, a guided-missile cruiser, which is homeported in Yokosuka, Japan, has been underway in the Western Pacific since February.

It was in the Phillippine Sea last week participating in the Valiant Shield exercise with the USS Ronald Reagan.

Earlier this month a fire broke out on the Coast Guard cutter Waesche, also in the Western Pacific, hurting five crew members.