On Friday afternoon, Tacoma Fire said in a Twitter update that it and a salvage company were coordinating to extinguish the fire and turn the vessel over to Trident.
A Trident Seafoods floating processor was still burning Friday afternoon, two days after it caught fire while docked at the Port of Tacoma, Washington.
The Tacoma Fire Department reported the fire shortly before midnight Wednesday and responded to the scene. Firefighters on the pier and three other boats used water to fight the blaze. They were joined by a Coast Guard response boat.
Coast Guard Petty Officer Steve Strohmaier said they worked to minimize the damage to the surrounding area.
“When they were fighting it, they had to be very careful about ensuring that the vessel would not capsize to cause a further problem of marine pollution," he explained. "That being said, there was chlorine, there was ammonia, and then of course oil and diesel fuel on board.”
Strohmaier said that at this time, the amount of each substance on the ship is unknown.
On Friday afternoon, Tacoma Fire said in a Twitter update that it and a salvage company were coordinating to extinguish the fire and turn the vessel over to Trident.
Tacoma fire crews are continuing to coordinate with the salvage company on scene to get this fire completely out and turned back over to Trident. There will be multiple investigations of this incident by different agencies. There still are no reported injuries at this time.
— Tacoma Fire (@TacomaFire) February 19, 2021
So far, no injuries have been reported.
The 233-foot Aleutian Falcon was one of two floating processors Trident operates during the herring and salmon seasons in Alaska.
Strohmaier said that at this time, the amount of each substance on the ship is unknown.
Trident has not responded to phone calls or emails requesting comment as of this story.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by multiple agencies.
Contact the author at isabelle@kdlg.org or 907-842-2200.
