Cargo Ship Burning For Days Has Thousands of Cars Just ‘Melting’ Away

An automotive cargo ship at the Port of Jacksonville in Florida has been burning for days. The Höegh Xiamen caught fire the afternoon of June 4th and although controlled, is still burning a week later.

The ship had just finished taking on thousands of used cars when the seventh deck caught fire. It quickly spread throughout the whole ship which eventually caused an explosion that unfortunately injured eight firefighters.

Local news WJXT reports that as a result of the intense heat the U.S. Coast Guard says the cars inside are melting. Luckily though, due to the tireless efforts to spray water on the ship’s exterior, the ship’s hull has remained intact, keeping it from breaking up and sinking.

It’s reported that approximately 25,000 gallons of water are being sprayed on the exterior of the ship every minute to protect the integrity and keep it afloat. The goal is to get it to a point where they can safely remove all the fuel off the ship. Firefighters will not be sent back inside to battle the fire.

The 2,000 cars on board were all used, not new vehicles being transported overseas. Investigators are trying to determine what caused the fire.