At 6:38PM on November 21, 2025, several agencies including the Los Angeles City Fire Department, the Long Beach Fire Department, the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, the United States Coast Guard, and the Los Angeles Port Police responded to a fire aboard the docked container ship ONE HENRY HUDSON at 701 East New Dock Street in San Pedro.
Over the extended course of this fire, Unified Command was established between Los Angeles City Fire Department, United States Coast Guard, Los Angeles Port Police, and representatives of ONE HENRY HUDSON. As the agency primarily responsible for fire suppression, LAFD deployed nearly 200 personnel -- numerous fire companies and several specialized resources including Heavy Rescue, HazMat, USAR, Fire Boats, and Air Operations coordinated efforts from the land, sea, and sky. Long Beach Fire Department deployed two Battalion Chiefs, a foam apparatus, and Fire Boats 15 and 20 that assisted fire suppression efforts alongside five of LAFD's fire boats. Thermal imaging provided by a CalOES FIRIS fixed-wing aircraft helped monitor fire conditions and heat signatures from above.
Several of the ship's 23 total crew members initially assisted firefighters in gaining access to the lower decks of the ship, but all 23 members were ultimately safely assisted off the vessel with the help of Los Angeles Port Police and United States Customs and Border Protection.
Fire suppression and vessel management during the incident presented extraordinary challenges. Fire burned on multiple sub-levels below deck, in areas that were largely inaccessible. At approximately 8:00PM, a mid-ship explosion caused onboard lights and cranes to lose power. While the ship maintained a stable height in the water with no indication of listing, hazardous materials were identified in several affected bays, prompting LAFD HazMat teams to conduct continuous air monitoring. While air quality readings in the smoke plume remained within normal ranges, Unified Command issued a precautionary shelter-in-place order for San Pedro and Wilmington residents out of an abundance of caution. As conditions on the vessel deteriorated, Unified Command ordered all firefighting personnel to withdraw from the ship. The firefight continued from a safe distance using master streams (large-diameter hand lines, aerial ladder pipes, and heavy-flow battery devices mounted on fire engines and fire boats).
At approximately 3:00AM on November 22, agencies in Unified Command coordinated a large-scale effort to undock the ship and escort it from the Port of Los Angeles and out to sea beyond the Vincent Thomas Bridge - all while continuing fire suppression and safety-, structural-, and air-monitoring operations. At 4:43AM, ONE HENRY HUDSON was successfully anchored in Grid:G4 of the Wilmington-Harbor City Community Plan - approximately one mile from shore, near Angel's Gate Lighthouse. Fire suppression operations are expected to continue while salvage teams begin their work under the coordination of all partner agencies.
Remarkably -- and thankfully -- no injuries have been reported as a result of this fire. With the ship safely moved far into open water, Unified Command has lifted all shelter-in-place orders for residents in the San Pedro and Wilmington areas.
Source: Los Angeles Fire Department