Investigative hearings open into cargo ship fire that killed 2 New Jersey firefighters

By WAYNE PARRY
Associated Press

UNION, N.J. (AP) — Federal investigators opened several days of hearings into a dockside cargo ship fire that killed two New Jersey firefighters last summer at Port Newark. The Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the July 5 blaze aboard the Grande Costa d’Avorio. The Italian-owned vessel was carrying over 1,200 automobiles when it caught fire at dockside. Two fire captains died fighting the blaze. The Coast Guard says cargo handlers, firefighters and others will testify at the hearings that started Wednesday and will run through Jan. 18. A Coast Guard official says the inquiry will not seek to affix blame but instead focus on issuing safety recommendations.