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Cause Of Freighter Fire Eludes Investigators

The Ship Had 6,000 Gallons Of Fuel & Mattresses As Cargo

Freighter Was Destined For Haiti Sunday

MIAMI (CBS4) ― The Red Cross is helping the crewmembers of a frieghter which caught fire Saturday night, forcing 8 crew members to jump to safety. Fire investigators sifted through the debris of burned out freighter on Sunday trying to determine what caused it to go up in flames Saturday night on the Miami River, but have yet to solve the mystery.

Heavy black smoke could be seen for miles as the ship burned in the 29-hundred block of NW North River Driver. As the fire gutted the 200 foot freighter, Miami firefighters rescued nine crew members on the ship, and several people on adjacent boats

Fire rescue officials say the Panamanian flagged "Atlantic" was destined for Haiti on Sunday. It has 6-thousand gallons of fuel and mattresses, which has made for an extremely difficult firefighting operation.

More than 100 firefighters were called to fight the blaze; they had it under control within three hours. 

(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)


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