Through sobs, cargo ship officer says crew is ‘broken’ over deaths of 2 firefighters in blaze

UNION, N.J. – A most sensible officer of an Italian cargo ship that stuck fireplace remaining summer time in one of America’s busiest seaports broke down in sobs Thursday recalling his crew’s preliminary efforts to place out the blaze, announcing they “are broken” that two New Jersey fireplace captains lost their lives combating the blaze.

Benito LaFauci, the executive mate of the Grande Costa D’Avorio, testified at a hearing ahead of the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board into the motive of the July 5 fireplace that killed Newark Fire Department Captains Augusto “Augie” Acabou and Wayne “Bear” Brooks Jr.

The ship is owned through the Grimaldi Group and used to be being loaded with 1,200 automobiles certain for international markets at Port Newark when the blaze broke out.

LaFauci detailed the crew’s efforts to battle the blaze in an instant after it broke out, together with the use of hand-held fireplace extinguishers, the relationship of a firefighting hose to a water supply device, and the activation of a carbon dioxide fireplace suppression device. LaFauci then requested to handle (*2*) without delay.

“I’d like to say from myself, Grimaldi and my crew: We are broken that two brave firefighters lost their lives on board,” LaFauci stated as he broke down in tears, burying his face in his arms as sobs wracked his frame.

He attempted to regain his composure whilst wiping tears from his eyes with two fists complete of tissues ahead of proceeding.

“We all send our deepest condolences to the families,” he stated. “We tried our best to extinguish the fire.”

At the outlet of the listening to, which is able to span just about two weeks, a port employee whose activity used to be to push automobiles onto the ship and up a steep ramp to higher ranges of the vessel recounted how he escaped his Jeep Wrangler when it burst into flames after maneuvering a automobile into position. The households care for the Jeep used to be noticed to be emitting smoke previous that very same day.

The useless firefighters’ households introduced plans in October to sue Grimaldi in addition to two stevedore firms concerned in loading the vessel. An legal professional for Grimaldi has declined remark.

A initial investigation through the Coast Guard and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health indicated that the Newark Fire Department “had little to no maritime firefighting training, experience or familiarization with cargo ships of any type,” in keeping with a Coast Guard protection alert issued Nov. 20.

While in search of the motive of the fire, the inquiry is not going to search to hitch blame to any individual, Barger stated. It will as a substitute factor protection suggestions past the ones integrated in the alert. That steering really useful that native fireplace departments and ports identify common shipboard firefighting schooling and coaching, together with language translation features for non-English-speaking crews.

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