Latest news with #Augusto'Augie'Acabou
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Yahoo
Newark ship fire that killed 2 firefighters caused by improper vehicle
The Newark ship fire that killed two firefighters in 2023 was caused by crews using an unsuitable vehicle to push cars onto the ship, federal investigators said Tuesday. Augusto 'Augie' Acabou, 45, and Wayne 'Bear' Brooks, 49, were killed while responding to the blaze on the Grande Costa D'Avorio at Port Newark on July 5, 2023. The fire started with a Jeep Wrangler, which was being used to push nonrunning vehicles onto the ship, the National Transportation Safety Board said in its report. Investigators said the Jeep had been recalled because its transmission could cause fluid to catch fire if overheated, according to WCBS. Hours before the fire started, at least one crew member spotted smoke coming from the Jeep. However, it was used throughout the day to push vehicles onboard despite not meeting Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards. 'Maybe it was a readily available vehicle,' one National Transportation Safety Board investigator said Tuesday. 'Maybe they overlooked OSHA requirements that it couldn't be used in that manner.' Eventually, the Jeep caught fire and started 'dripping fireballs,' one worker said. Two more factors led to Acabou's and Brooks' deaths, according to the NTSB, which does not prosecute criminal cases but instead issues safety recommendations. The ship's fire control plan was inadequate, because it required one exterior door to be closed from the inside, safety board investigators said. If the door had been closed, a carbon dioxide suppression system could've stopped the fire's spread. Additionally, the feds said, Newark's fire department had inadequate training for cargo ships and should not have sent smoke-eaters onboard. Acabou and Brooks died after getting lost on the ship. Newark firefighters were sent in even though all 28 crew members had been safely evacuated and accounted for. 'I hope that Newark fire department leadership is listening,' National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said. 'This isn't just a failure of communication. This was a failure of leadership.' With News Wire Services
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Cargo ship was ignited by a Jeep dripping 'fireballs' while pushing vehicles on board, NTSB finds
A deadly fire aboard a cargo ship being loaded with used cars at Port Newark in July 2023 was ignited by a Jeep that dripped 'flaming fireballs' as it strained beyond its capacity to push vehicles on board, federal investigators said Tuesday. The National Transportation Safety Board met publicly in Washington Tuesday to unveil its findings about the inferno inside the Italian-flagged Grande Costa D'Avorio, which smoldered for nearly a week and resulted in the deaths of two Newark firefighters. In addition to using an unrated Jeep to push vehicles into position on the ship, the board said that a carbon dioxide fire suppression system was ineffective because a garage door had to be closed for it to operate correctly, and could only be shut from inside, where the fire was raging in cramped conditions, with vehicles parked as narrowly as 4 inches (10 centimeters) apart. The NTSB also singled out the Newark Fire Division for criticism, saying its chiefs 'exposed firefighters to unnecessary risk.' The first responders were not familiar enough with marine firefighting, and the city's fire department lacked a fire control plan for the ship. 'Staff feels that Newark Fire Division, responding land-based firefighters should not have gone into the space,' one of the investigators said Tuesday. Messages seeking comment were left with the Newark Fire Division and with Ports America, the company overseeing cargo operations at the port. The blaze ignited as the ship was being loaded with about 920 mostly used vehicles enroute to West Africa. Port workers were using a Jeep Wrangler to push nonrunning vehicles into the ship when a worker heard 'clunking noises' and another operator reported seeing 'flaming fireballs dripping' from the Jeep, according to the board. The Jeep had pushed 37 other vehicles on board by that point, investigators said. Federal rules require that any vehicle used to push other vehicles onto a ship meets standards for such work. The Jeep didn't meet that Occupational Safety and Health Administration standard and was straining beyond its capacity, the board's investigators said. 'Maybe it was a readily available vehicle,' one investigator said Tuesday. 'Maybe they overlooked OSHA requirements that it couldn't be used in that manner — just speculating.' The fire began on deck 10 of the 12-deck ship, investigators said, and the ship's crew had activated the carbon dioxide suppression system, but it required the ship's exterior garage doors to be closed to operate effectively. Because the door on the top deck couldn't be closed except from inside the ship, it remained open, according to the board's presentation. Newark firefighters quickly responded — and got lost inside the vessel, the board said, as dark smoke billowed into the sky. 'We cannot find our way out,' the board said one firefighter relayed. 'We are lost.' Newark firefighters Augusto 'Augie' Acabou and Wayne 'Bear' Brooks Jr. were killed. Firefighting boats ultimately blasted water cannons at the ship for days to extinguish the blaze. Board members noted that relatives of the fallen firefighters were present at the meeting and expressed condolences to them. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates Newark's port, relies on local fire departments to assist with fires since it doesn't have its own firefighting agency. Authorities earlier declined to answer whether firefighters should have gone into harm's way to put the blaze out when no lives appeared to be at risk, with the ship's 28 crew members safe and accounted-for. Fritz Frage, who was Newark's public safety director at the time, said the city and port authority have continuing conversations about training. He didn't offer specifics.
The Independent
15-04-2025
- General
- The Independent
Cargo ship was ignited by a Jeep dripping 'fireballs' while pushing vehicles on board, NTSB finds
A deadly fire aboard a cargo ship being loaded with used cars at Port Newark in July 2023 was ignited by a Jeep that dripped 'flaming fireballs' as it strained beyond its capacity to push vehicles on board, federal investigators said Tuesday. The National Transportation Safety Board met publicly in Washington Tuesday to unveil its findings about the inferno inside the Italian-flagged Grande Costa D'Avorio, which smoldered for nearly a week and resulted in the deaths of two Newark firefighters. In addition to using an unrated Jeep to push vehicles into position on the ship, the board said that a carbon dioxide fire suppression system was ineffective because a garage door had to be closed for it to operate correctly, and could only be shut from inside, where the fire was raging in cramped conditions, with vehicles parked as narrowly as 4 inches (10 centimeters) apart. The NTSB also singled out the Newark Fire Division for criticism, saying its chiefs 'exposed firefighters to unnecessary risk.' The first responders were not familiar enough with marine firefighting, and the city's fire department lacked a fire control plan for the ship. 'Staff feels that Newark Fire Division, responding land-based firefighters should not have gone into the space,' one of the investigators said Tuesday. Messages seeking comment were left with the Newark Fire Division and with Ports America, the company overseeing cargo operations at the port. The blaze ignited as the ship was being loaded with about 920 mostly used vehicles enroute to West Africa. Port workers were using a Jeep Wrangler to push nonrunning vehicles into the ship when a worker heard 'clunking noises' and another operator reported seeing 'flaming fireballs dripping' from the Jeep, according to the board. The Jeep had pushed 37 other vehicles on board by that point, investigators said. Federal rules require that any vehicle used to push other vehicles onto a ship meets standards for such work. The Jeep didn't meet that Occupational Safety and Health Administration standard and was straining beyond its capacity, the board's investigators said. 'Maybe it was a readily available vehicle,' one investigator said Tuesday. 'Maybe they overlooked OSHA requirements that it couldn't be used in that manner — just speculating.' The fire began on deck 10 of the 12-deck ship, investigators said, and the ship's crew had activated the carbon dioxide suppression system, but it required the ship's exterior garage doors to be closed to operate effectively. Because the door on the top deck couldn't be closed except from inside the ship, it remained open, according to the board's presentation. Newark firefighters quickly responded — and got lost inside the vessel, the board said, as dark smoke billowed into the sky. 'We cannot find our way out,' the board said one firefighter relayed. 'We are lost.' Newark firefighters Augusto 'Augie' Acabou and Wayne 'Bear' Brooks Jr. were killed. Firefighting boats ultimately blasted water cannons at the ship for days to extinguish the blaze. Board members noted that relatives of the fallen firefighters were present at the meeting and expressed condolences to them. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates Newark's port, relies on local fire departments to assist with fires since it doesn't have its own firefighting agency. Authorities earlier declined to answer whether firefighters should have gone into harm's way to put the blaze out when no lives appeared to be at risk, with the ship's 28 crew members safe and accounted-for. Fritz Frage, who was Newark's public safety director at the time, said the city and port authority have continuing conversations about training. He didn't offer specifics.
Associated Press
15-04-2025
- General
- Associated Press
Cargo ship was ignited by a Jeep dripping 'fireballs' while pushing vehicles on board, NTSB finds
A deadly fire aboard a cargo ship being loaded with used cars at Port Newark in July 2023 was ignited by a Jeep that dripped 'flaming fireballs' as it strained beyond its capacity to push vehicles on board, federal investigators said Tuesday. The National Transportation Safety Board met publicly in Washington Tuesday to unveil its findings about the inferno inside the Italian-flagged Grande Costa D'Avorio, which smoldered for nearly a week and resulted in the deaths of two Newark firefighters. In addition to using an unrated Jeep to push vehicles into position on the ship, the board said that a carbon dioxide fire suppression system was ineffective because a garage door had to be closed for it to operate correctly, and could only be shut from inside, where the fire was raging in cramped conditions, with vehicles parked as narrowly as 4 inches (10 centimeters) apart. The NTSB also singled out the Newark Fire Division for criticism, saying its chiefs 'exposed firefighters to unnecessary risk.' The first responders were not familiar enough with marine firefighting, and the city's fire department lacked a fire control plan for the ship. 'Staff feels that Newark Fire Division, responding land-based firefighters should not have gone into the space,' one of the investigators said Tuesday. Messages seeking comment were left with the Newark Fire Division and with Ports America, the company overseeing cargo operations at the port. The blaze ignited as the ship was being loaded with about 920 mostly used vehicles enroute to West Africa. Port workers were using a Jeep Wrangler to push nonrunning vehicles into the ship when a worker heard 'clunking noises' and another operator reported seeing 'flaming fireballs dripping' from the Jeep, according to the board. The Jeep had pushed 37 other vehicles on board by that point, investigators said. Federal rules require that any vehicle used to push other vehicles onto a ship meets standards for such work. The Jeep didn't meet that Occupational Safety and Health Administration standard and was straining beyond its capacity, the board's investigators said. 'Maybe it was a readily available vehicle,' one investigator said Tuesday. 'Maybe they overlooked OSHA requirements that it couldn't be used in that manner — just speculating.' The fire began on deck 10 of the 12-deck ship, investigators said, and the ship's crew had activated the carbon dioxide suppression system, but it required the ship's exterior garage doors to be closed to operate effectively. Because the door on the top deck couldn't be closed except from inside the ship, it remained open, according to the board's presentation. Newark firefighters quickly responded — and got lost inside the vessel, the board said, as dark smoke billowed into the sky. 'We cannot find our way out,' the board said one firefighter relayed. 'We are lost.' Newark firefighters Augusto 'Augie' Acabou and Wayne 'Bear' Brooks Jr. were killed. Firefighting boats ultimately blasted water cannons at the ship for days to extinguish the blaze. Board members noted that relatives of the fallen firefighters were present at the meeting and expressed condolences to them. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates Newark's port, relies on local fire departments to assist with fires since it doesn't have its own firefighting agency. Authorities earlier declined to answer whether firefighters should have gone into harm's way to put the blaze out when no lives appeared to be at risk, with the ship's 28 crew members safe and accounted-for. Fritz Frage, who was Newark's public safety director at the time, said the city and port authority have continuing conversations about training. He didn't offer specifics.
