A cruise ship carrying around 3,000 people had to return to port after a fire broke out in the boiler room.
A fire broke out on Holland America's Westerdam, forcing it to head back to Seattle on Saturday. None of the crew members or passengers were injured. The company says it was a small fire that broke out after the ship set sail and it was quickly extinguished, the Associated Press reports.
Holland America said the ship was inspected by the Coast Guard and was cleared to sail again.
According to the Seattle Times, the fire broke out at around 5 p.m. while the ship was in Puget Sound near Kingston. The crew was able to contain the fire but it restarted a while later. Using a combination of high-pressure mist and hoses, the crew was able to extinguish the fire. Seattle also dispatched a fireboat with a few units to the Pier 91 cruise terminal as a precaution.
The company said that it decided to turn the ship back "out of an abundance of caution and in cooperation with the U.S. Coast Guard." The ship did not have to be evacuated.
The Holland America Westerdam was just beginning a seven-day cruise to Alaska when the fire occurred. The ship was carrying 2,086 passengers and 798 crew members. The cruise was supposed to make stops in Juneau, Alaska; Sitka, Alaska; Ketchikan, Alaska; and Victoria, British Columbia. However due to the fire, the ship will skip the port of Sitka. The ship set sail again at about 10:15 a.m. on Sunday morning.
According to Cruisefever.net, the passengers will receive $250 per stateroom in onboard credit and a 25 percent off certificate to use on a future cruise equal to the fare that they paid for this cruise.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
