US Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer Diolanda Caballero.
TACOMA, Wash. – A unified command, consisting of the Tacoma Fire Department, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Washington Department of Ecology and other agencies, continued its response Monday to a fire aboard the fishing vessel Kodiak Enterprise moored at Trident Seafoods in the Hylebos Waterway in Tacoma.
Firefighting efforts have resulted in a substantial reduction in the vessel fire with improved smoke conditions. Tacoma Fire Department lifted the temporary shelter-in-place order at 6:40 a.m. Monday due to the improved smoke conditions. If conditions deteriorate, the order may be reinstated.
Responders from the Tacoma Fire Department are cooling the vessel by continuously applying water to the vessel’s hull. The vessel is listing to its port side.
Dewatering operations continued overnight and will continue to improve vessel stability. Dive operations have commenced to inspect the hull.
Responders on scene have not observed a spill or oil sheen in the water. The vessel is surrounded by three layers of containment boom as a precaution. Responders and equipment are staged and ready to respond if pollution is observed in the waterway.
The Hylebos Waterway remains closed to vessel traffic. The U.S. Coast Guard established a safety zone around the incident site and has an Coast Guard Cutter Adelie patrolling the area to maintain and enforce this safety zone. There is not an anticipated time for when the waterway will be reopened, and the Coast Guard is working to minimize impacts to vessel traffic.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
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