(WASHINGTON) — On Dec. 30, 2024, about 1609, the articulated tug-barge Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder, with a crew of 16, was anchored in Lake Erie near Cleveland, Ohio, when a fire broke out in the generator space of the barge Pathfinder. The crew sealed the space and released the vessel’s fixed gas fire extinguishing system, putting out the fire. There were no injuries and no pollution was reported. Damage was estimated at $2.6 million.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the probable cause of the diesel generator engine failure and resulting fire was a loss of lube oil to one of the engine’s connecting rods, possibly due to its electrical generator experiencing a sudden block load beyond its design capability resulting from an electrical short in the generator.
Lessons learned
Machinery spaces contain multiple fuel sources as well as mechanical ventilation, making the spaces especially vulnerable to rapidly spreading fires. After a diesel generator engine failed aboard Pathfinder, the crew effectively contained the spread of a fire by removing fuel and oxygen sources.
Vessel crews should familiarize themselves and train frequently on machinery, fuel oil, lube oil, isolation valves, and ventilation shutoff systems to quickly act to contain and suppress fires in machinery spaces before they can spread to other spaces and/or cause a loss of propulsion and electrical power.
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– National Transportation Safety Board
