2LT International News

NEW YORK CITY: Authorities have said that some 900 passengers and crew members were evacuated from a ferry bound for Staten Island from Manhattan, after the ship’s engine room caught fire.

During a news conference, the New York Fire Department said that five people were injured, with three being hospitalized with minor injuries.

The NYC Department of Transportation said that the ferry, named the Sandy Ground, was temporarily anchored near Bayonne, New Jersey while the passengers were transferred from the ship.

During the rescue, the US Coast Guard evacuated the passengers and the ferry’s crew to the St. George Ferry Terminal on Staten Island.

At a news conference, Deputy Assistant Fire Chief Frank Leeb said the ferry was carrying some 868 people, as well as 16 crew members.

“The department will wait at least 24 hours and monitor temperatures before entering the engine room to determine whether the fire is completely extinguished,” Leeb said, as quoted by the Associated Press.

The fire department said that the blaze was contained to the ship’s engine room and stack.

Leeb lauded the ship’s crew for quickly informing the Coast Guard of the emergency.

“They were also very quick to make sure that they sealed the engine room, evacuated the area and injected CO2 into the room to remove the oxygen,” he said.

Officials said the cause of the fire is being investigated.