When you’re on a cruise ship, the last thing you want to see is a fire. For passengers on Norwegian Jade, the view and smell of smoke was a little too close for comfort as the 2,400-guest ship was docked in Whittier, Alaska.
But the brave crew of Norwegian Jade stepped up and helped firefighters tackle the blaze as it spread across the dock from the tour boat that caught fire.
Several dramatic videos of the incident have been posted on social media, showing just how close the fire was before the ship had to leave the dock and use a different terminal.
The videos also show the heroic crew, stepping in to beat back the flames that persisted for about 45 minutes.
Barbara Mackessy shot several videos of the fire, showing the intensity of the flames and the crew spraying water across the deck to stop the spread.
Other videos also emerged of the crew fighting the fire before the ship pulled away from the dock.
Quick Action on the Upper Decks
The emergency broke out around 11:00 AM on September 14 when a fire erupted aboard the Klondike Express, a tour boat moored along the waterfront right next to the Norwegian Jade.
As the flames jumped from the tour boat onto the wooden pier of the Chugach Glacier Gateway Cruise Terminal, heavy black smoke began rolling directly toward the ship.
But rather than just standing by, members of the Norwegian Jade crew acted immediately. Equipped with high-powered marine fire hoses and deck monitors, crew members aimed heavy streams of water down onto the dock from the upper decks.
By soaking the pier and creating a protective water barrier, the crew fought back the flames, slowing the fire’s spread during the crucial first minutes before land-based crews could arrive.
Moving to Safety
Because the fire was right against the hull, the captain safely pulled the 93,500-ton vessel away from the pier and moved it into open water across the bay.
Whittier Fire, Girdwood Fire and Rescue, Anchorage Fire, and the U.S. Coast Guard soon took over to fully extinguish the remaining flames.
Zero Damage and No Injuries
Despite how dramatic the whole thing looked, the crew’s quick thinking paid off. The Norwegian Jade suffered no damage, and no injuries were reported among the passengers, crew, or ground personnel.
Once the harbor was secured, the ship was able to dock at Whittier’s secondary terminal and allow passengers who were still in port to be able to get back on the ship.
On behalf of Cruise Fever: hats off to the brave crew of Norwegian Jade for stepping up and keeping everyone safe.
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