Fire on nuclear submarine leaves seven injured: US Navy

WASHINGTON: Five firefighters and two crewmembers suffered minor injuries in a blaze aboard a US attack submarine at a shipyard in Maine, the Navy said Thursday.

The fire broke out late Wednesday afternoon in a forward compartment of the USS Miami, a Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered submarine, and was extinguished by Thursday morning, officers said.

"The fire and subsequent damage was limited to the forward compartment spaces only which includes crew living and command and control spaces," Rear Admiral Rick Breckenridge, commander of Submarine Group Two, said in a statement.

"The ship's reactor has been shut down for over two months and remained in a safe and stable condition throughout the event," he said.

No weapons were in the sub's torpedo room when the fire occurred, he said.

"The fire spread to spaces within the submarine that were difficult to access. The heat and smoke contained in these confined spaces made it challenging for fire-fighters to combat the blaze," Breckenridge added.

The seven people who suffered light injuries were five fire fighters and two crew members, and all have been treated and released, he said.

An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the blaze, the statement said.

The submarine, which has a crew of 133, had arrived at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in March for maintenance work and improvements.

The USS Miami had carried out a five-month mission from July to December 2011 in the Mediterranean region. (AFP)