Smoke rises from a burning cargo ship, the Grande Costa d'Avorio, that caught fire on Wednesday night in the Port of Newark in New Jersey. Two Newark firefighters were killed while fighting the fire, which was finally extinguished Tuesday. Photo by Justin Lane/EPA-EFE/
July 11 (UPI) -- A fire aboard an Italian cargo ship in New Jersey, which claimed the lives of two Newark firefighters, has been extinguished as the firefighters' union blasts safety concerns over staffing and equipment.
The U.S. Coast Guard announced Tuesday that the fire aboard the Grande Costa D'Avorio at Newark's port container terminal has been extinguished. The fire, which started Wednesday, remains under investigation and the ship will be broken down for scrap, the Coast Guard said.
"The salvage process could easily be one to two months," Coast Guard Capt. Zeita Merchant told reporters Tuesday.
Newark veteran firefighters Augusto "Augie" Acabou, 45, and Wayne "Bear" Brooks Jr., 49, died fighting the fire after they became trapped aboard the 692-foot-long ship Wednesday night and could not escape. Acabou will be laid to rest on Thursday. A service for Brooks will be held on Friday.
The Newark firefighters' union also held a news conference Tuesday, voicing concerns about aging equipment and inadequate staffing.
"According to the city's budget, the Newark Fire Division has 80 unfilled firefighter positions -- and even that fails to meet the industry standard set by the National Fire Protection Association," said Michael Giunta, president of the Newark Firefighters Union.
While New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy agreed additional staffing is needed, Newark Mayor Ray Baraka took it personally.
"I find accusations of intentional understaffing and insufficient training of our public safety personnel very hurtful, and a personal affront to everything my administration and I stand for," Baraka said. "I find the timing very questionable."
The ship was carrying thousands of tons of cargo including 5,000 vehicles destined for Africa, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
"The decks of the ship is essentially a parking garage," said Port Director Beth Rooney. "What we had burning were components and parts of cars."
The Port Authority has ruled out lithium-ion batteries as a cause of the fire.
