USS NIMITZ (CVN 68), Electrical Fire, 16 November 2006

4 Injured in Nimitz Electrical Fire
Navy Times www.navytimes.com
By Gidget Fuentes
Staff writer

SAN DIEGO — Three sailors and a civilian worker were hospitalized Thursday after an electrical fire broke out on the aircraft carrier Nimitz, Navy officials said.

A fifth person was treated aboard the nuclear-powered ship, which was docked pierside at Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado, Calif., said Lt. Sonja L. Hanson, a spokeswoman with Naval Air Forces in Coronado.

Navy officials are investigating the incident, which happened about 10:45 a.m. as the sailors and civilian worker were doing electrical maintenance on a high-voltage shore power switchboard.

“There was an explosion while they were working on it, and that’s what caused the fire and the burns,” Hanson said.

Three sailors, all members of Nimitz’s crew, and a Puget Sound Naval Shipyard civilian worker, were injured in the fire. They were taken by civilian helicopters to the University of California-San Diego Medical Center in La Jolla.

Hanson said Friday afternoon that the four were still hospitalized. One was in critical condition; two were in serious but stable condition; and one was in good condition. No information was available on the fifth individual who was treated aboard the ship.

While Nimitz continued to operate, the fire did interrupt some electrical service aboard the ship, including e-mail, Hanson said.