A massive water rescue operation was launched Thursday night after a fire aboard a Staten Island Ferry.
The New York City Fire Department said in a statement shared with PEOPLE that first responders were alerted to the Staten Island Ferry “regarding a fire in the mechanical room” at 5:18 p.m. local time.
It added that the boat is now anchored after its 667 passengers evacuated and were put on other vessels that took them to the St. George terminal.
FDNY said that five people were injured, with three being taken to Richmond University Medical Center. The remaining two were treated at the scene.
The U.S. Coast Guard for New York City and the Tri-State area tweeted that it and the NYC Fire Department were “responding to a fire aboard Staten Island Ferry Sandy Ground, in the New York Harbor … "
The fire had also been put out, and it did not cause any pollution, according to the USCG.
New York Waterway also tweeted about the incident, stating thatpassengers were evacuatedafter “an engine room fire.”
One of those passengers, Gerald Lavelle, shared his experience as he tweeted a video of dozens of fellow ridersseen at a standstillwhile wearing life jackets.
He told one social media user that at the time,they were not docking. Instead, they would be getting on another ferry.
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The New York City Department of Transportation provided an update hours later and said the ferry “had to betemporarily anchored near Bayonnedue to a fire limited to the engine room,” adding that it was “working alongside” other organizations to make sure passengers got off safely.
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“Known impacts from smokeare limited & the nature of the fire is under investigation,” the NYC DOT added in a separate tweet.
source: people.com
