Fire On Nuclear Sub Leaves 7 Injured

Seven people sustained minor injuries when a nuclear submarine docked at a U.S. Naval shipyard in Maine caught fire Wednesday evening. Portsmouth Naval Shipyard commander Capt. Bryant Fuller said the blaze started onboard the USS Miami and affected "primarily living areas and command and control spaces.” Firefighters arrived at the scene at 5:41 p.m. Wednesday and battled the fire for hours until it was finally extinguished early Thursday.

Navy spokesman Rear Admiral Rick Breckenridge said Miami’s nuclear reactor has not been in operation for more than two months. The reactor was protected from the fire and remained stable throughout Wednesday’s incident. No weapons were onboard the submarine.

"The cause of the fire is not known at this time. A full investigation will be conducted,” Capt. Fuller said.

The injured included three shipyard firefighters, two civilian firefighters and two submarine crew members. All seven were either treated at the scene or at a nearby hospital.

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