Damages being assessed after welding sparks ignite fire on Cuyahoga
ASHTABULA, OH – Multiple fire departments and U.S. Coast Guard personnel fought a
blaze aboard the motor vessel Cuyahoga, docked in Ashtabula for winter lay-up, Friday
afternoon.
According to City of Ashtabula Fire Rescue there were no reported injuries. Reporting
on social media said the fire started 2 p.m. and took three hours to put out. The fire was
caused by welding; flames ignited paint on inside of cargo hold, the fire spread to the
main deck and the unloading belt caught fire. The fire was extinguished by late Friday
afternoon and damages will now be assessed.
The vessel was being worked on for the upcoming shipping season when the fire broke
out, USCG Great Lakes said.
The self-unloading vessel, operated by Rand Logistics’ Lower Lakes Towing Ltd., is the
oldest Canadian-registered ship still in active service on the Great Lakes. She was built
in 1943 to support the war effort, sailing for many years as J. Burton Ayers, and was
converted into a self-unloader in 1974. She experienced a serious engine room fire last
May while on Lake Erie but was repaired and returned to service last fall.
The American Courage and Victory/Maumee, laid-up nearby, were far enough away to
not be in danger. Northern Venture arrived off Ashtabula to load coke for Thessalon,
ON, Friday, however they went to anchor.
Large crowds drawn to watch ship fire in Ashtabula Harbor
ASHTABULA, OH – Large clouds of black smoke could be seen for miles as the
Cuyahoga burned in Ashtabula Harbor on Friday afternoon. Area residents jammed
viewing areas taking photos and shooting video with cell phones at Point Park and the
old CSX building on East Sixth Street near the bridge over the rail yard.
Harlan Rinto, who worked in the Ashtabula Harbor for 35 years, marveled at the fire
from the back of the Ashtabula Maritime and Surface Transportation Museum. He said
he was a fourth-generation worker on ships in Ashtabula Harbor. He said he had never
seen a fire like the one Friday.
Many others felt the same way as people tried to navigate in and out of a clogged
parking lot at Point Park. Cars parked in the museum parking lot and up and down
Walnut Boulevard. The parking lot at the former CSX Railroad offices quickly filled with
people trying to get the best view of the fire.
The Cuyahoga was docked in the western portion of the property northeast of the
Ashtabula Lift Bridge. Firefighters arriving on the scene made their way through the
property to get close enough to the ship to fight the blaze.
An Ashtabula ladder truck set up on the western side of the ship to fight the blaze and
fire engines from numerous area companies responded to the fire.
Star-Beacon
Detroit River power plant smokestacks demolished Friday after 100 years
DETROIT, MI – Demolition crews took down a piece of downriver Detroit history on Friday morning, bringing down the century-old Trenton Power Plant smokestacks at 7 a.m.
DTE said the power plant along the Detroit River – which once received shipments by lake vessels and was a maritime landmark – was taken down in a controlled explosion.
The plant was in operation from 1924 through 2022 when it was officially retired. DTE has plans to redevelop the site of the old plant down the road. The second phase of demolition will demolish the boiler house and that’s set to take place in mid May.
Watch a video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VltbecTHtCo
WXYZ
