Two firefighters and two workers were treated and released for smoke inhalation after a fire aboard a Great Lakes freighter at a shipyard in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., on Friday night, according to media reports.
WBAY-TV in Green Bay reported Saturday that the cause of the fire that left "extensive" damage aboard the Alpena while in drydock at Bay Shipbuilding Co. remains under investigation.
The 519-foot Alpena, launched in 1942 and operated by Inland Lakes Management, carries cement to Great Lakes ports and has been a frequent visitor to the Twin Ports, most recently in late November.
Sturgeon Bay Fire Chief Tim Herlache told the Door County Advocate that the fire was near the stern of the freighter, just above the engine room. He said firefighters found conditions "like an oven" inside the steel ship.
Shipyard officials told the Advocate that the Alpena was undergoing a two-week maintenance inspection. Dozens of firefighters fought the blaze Friday night into Saturday morning.
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Fire officials told WLUK-TV in Green Bay that the fire caused heavy damage to areas including an electrical control room, the galley and dining room, a storage room and two or three cabins.
The Advocate reported that officials from the fire department, along with representatives from the shipyard and the Alpena's owners, inspected the damage on Saturday. There was no immediate financial estimate of the damage.
