The Carnival Triumph is in the news once more and it has to do with a fire causing an evacuation. However, this time, but it isn't Carnival's fault, it all has to do with a fuel tank barge exploding at the Mobile, Alabama ship the Triumph is stationed at.
Firefighters were called to the scene in a matter of hours and extinguished the huge blaze that left a couple of people injured with critical burns and forcing crews from nearby ships (including the Triumph) to evacuate the area.
"The cause of the explosions remained under investigation, but investigators believe it was likely from a spark caused by a crew cleaning the barges," Coast Guard Lt. Mike Clausen said, according to newsoxy.com.
Reports state that Mobile firefights and Coast Guard officals were called on Wednesday night about a pair of explosions involving the gas barges in the Mobile River east of downtown. More explosions followed over the next few hours.
Alan Waugh, who lives at the Fort Conde Inn across the river from the scene, saw the blasts and said throngs of Carnival employees and others were clustered on streets leading toward the river as authorities evacuated the shipyard.
"It literally sounded like bombs going off around. The sky just lit up in orange and red," he said, according to newsoxy.com. "We could smell something in the air, we didn't know if it was gas or smoke." He also added that he could feel the heat from the explosion and when he came back inside, his partner noticed he had what appeared to be black soot on his face.
This incident happened two months after the 900-foot-long Carnival Triumph was towed to Mobile after becoming disabled on the Gulf during a cruise by an engine room fire, leaving thousands of passengers to endure cold food, unsanitary conditions and power outages for several days.
The Carnival Triumph, which is currently undergoing repairs, is slated to resume service from Galveston, Texas, on June 13.
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