Breaking News

[Rena75]

Jamaican authorities report one dead, several injured in fire aboard Princess cruise ship, according to The Associated Press.

I just saw this on Cnn...Good God..I hope it turns out as well as it can...Please everyone go to the lifeboat drill, and pay attention...

That is really scary! Do they know what caused the fire?

 

[DDF]

That picture is unbelievable!! I expected to see smoke damage outside a few cabins...that had to be horrifying for those passengers! Why all of these things happening 5 weeks before we cruise...yikes??!!

 

[Rence]

And THAT Ladies and Gentlement is why cloths irons and candles are banded from staterooms.

My first thought was one of these as the culprit.

Article here has this speculation:

Horace Peterkin, president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association, toured the scorched ship after it docked in Jamaica and said crew members told him the fire apparently started on a cabin balcony. A cigarette was suspected of causing the fire, Peterkin told The Associated Press.

 

[momrek06]

YAHOO is now reporting that INDEED it was a CIGARETTE!

That ship looks horrible!

This is so sad!

 

[SeaSpray]

That picture really sums it up

 

[Rena75]

My first thought was one of these as the culprit.

Article here has this speculation:

Horace Peterkin, president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association, toured the scorched ship after it docked in Jamaica and said crew members told him the fire apparently started on a cabin balcony. A cigarette was suspected of causing the fire, Peterkin told The Associated Press.

OMG, how awful that person who is responsible must feel. And to think all of this was caused by one cigarette! Tragic.

 

[txaggie94gigem]

another reason why i think cigarettes should not be allowed on board....

i am not trying to open a can of worms and i have close family members that smoke (my dad died of lung cancer from smoking last year too) but cigarettes cause just as many fires as candles/irons do...as you can see i live in oklahoma and we have been under a no burn ban since november but we still have wild fires almost everyday...most of which are started by cigarettes tossed out of car windows....a lit cigarette is the same as an open flame...

the scary part of the picture is look how close it was to the lifeboats on that side....could they have even got people to use those lifeboats....if they had to eveacuate the ship, could they have gotten those boats and everyone off safely since the fire was so close? that is so scary and i pray for everyone who was on board and went through that ordeal...how horrible!

 

[txaggie94gigem]

lbgraves....msnbc reported this did happen at night at about 3am...can you imagine how even scarier this was in the middle of the night?

 

[Deb in IA]

Yesterday a bus with 14 american tourists went off a cliff and 12 americans were killed...this was in Brazil, I think....they were on a private excursion not part of the the Celebrity ship excursions.

Actually it was Chile:

12 Americans killed in bus plunge in Chile
4 injured as vehicle carrying tourists from cruise ship falls into ravine

Updated: 9:02 a.m. ET March 23, 2006
SANTIAGO, Chile - A bus swerved to avoid an approaching truck and tumbled 300 feet down a mountainside in northern Chile, killing 12 American tourists, U.S. and Chilean officials said.

Two other U.S. tourists and two Chileans — the driver and the tour guide — were hospitalized in serious condition, said Juan Carlos Poli, a city hall spokesman in the Pacific port city of Arica.

The tourists were returning to Celebrity Cruises’ ship Millennium from an excursion to Lauca National Park when the bus plunged off the rugged highway Wednesday near Arica, 1,250 miles north of Santiago, he said.

Poli said the bus, which had a capacity of 16 passengers, “was totally destroyed.”

Vance said the embassy was sending consular officers to Arica.

The victims were all in their 60s and 70s, but authorities would not immediately confirm their identities.

Ship’s departure delayed
The Millennium was docked in Arica, and the cruise line said the ship will remain there until further notice. It had been scheduled to leave for Peru early Thursday. The ship was carrying approximately 1,500 guests and 920 crew members.


The accident occurred 25 miles northeast of Arica on the road leading deep into the high Andes Mountains, connecting the coast with the Bolivian capital of La Paz.

The cruise line said it was flying family members of victims to Chile and sending a special assistance team to the ship to help its guests and crew.

“We continue to work with Chilean authorities and the U.S. Consulate in Santiago to assist our injured guests and the family members of those who died in this tragic accident,” said Dan Hanrahan, president of Celebrity Cruises.

The ship is on a 14-night South American cruise. It departed Valparaiso, Chile, on March 19 and was scheduled to conclude in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on April 2.

Poli said autopsies will be conducted during the night so the bodies can be sent home as soon as possible.

Celebrity Cruises, which is owned by Miami-based Royal Caribbean Cruises, said the private tour was not affiliated with the cruise line.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11964601/


Yes, a lot of sad events in the cruise world the last two days . . .

And I also want to second/third/fourth the importance of going to the MANDATORY muster drill. I can't believe the juvenile attitude of so many cruisers, some here, even, about avoiding and skipping this very important exercise. It could very well save your life.

 

[momrek06]

another reason why i think cigarettes should not be allowed on board....

i am not trying to open a can of worms and i have close family members that smoke (my dad died of lung cancer from smoking last year too) but cigarettes cause just as many fires as candles/irons do...as you can see i live in oklahoma and we have been under a no burn ban since november but we still have wild fires almost everyday...most of which are started by cigarettes tossed out of car windows....a lit cigarette is the same as an open flame...

the scary part of the picture is look how close it was to the lifeboats on that side....could they have even got people to use those lifeboats....if they had to eveacuate the ship, could they have gotten those boats and everyone off safely since the fire was so close? that is so scary and i pray for everyone who was on board and went through that ordeal...how horrible!

DITTO! DITTO!

I AGREE WITH YOU COMPLETELY!!

 

[AshAlytwins]

Stupid cigarettes!!!!!
So sad and scary, makes me nervous to cruise.

 

[inkkognito]

Fire is the one thing that scares me most on a cruise ship. On DCL, I spoke to a person who worked in the spa many years back and who was dating (or married to...can't remember for sure) an officer. She was telling me about all the safety procedures and how well trained the crew is. But she said that the prospect of fire scared her because if it gets out of control, all bets are off. If a ship is sinking for another reason, there is usually ample time to evacuate everyone. But in the case of fire, it's absolutely terrifying how fast it can spread, as the Princess photo shows.
Barb

 

[kimszath]

Agree with the other poster who mentioned it started around 3 AM... can you imagine? Announcements in the middle of the night, telling you to put on your lifejacket and go to your muster station??? OMG.... must have been SOOO scary. I'm wondering if the poor man who died of a heart attack was stricken just by the excitement and stress of the lifejacket/muster station process, or if he was actually involved--had inhaled smoke or was near the actual fire. So sad. Prayers are with the families today. I'm guessing a lot of people will be flying home from Jamaica. I'm sure they don't have "back-up" accommodations for people in that many staterooms. Wonder if EVERYBODY will have to fly home, as she returns to port???

 

[Deb in IA]

I believe Carnival HAD a no-smoking cruise a few years ago, but sadly, this was discontinued, due to lack of business.

I would LOVE to have cigarettes banned from staterooms. Otherwise, this is just a set-up for disaster. Just think about it: Out late, partying hardy, drinking a little too much, go back to stateroom and have a smoke just before bed . . .

 

[captaincrash]

Well.... I don;t have precise stats but I suspect cruising is still safer then flying commercial (per passenger mile/ or passenger hour aboard) and probably safer then walking down the street in most major cities.

Not to say the loss of life and horror are any less significant. But, this is not too bad considering the life lost was not due to the fire directly. And I might add conversely that the photos of the damage are actually sobering. It almost looks to me as if the ship engaged in NO firfighting and just let it burn itself out. I can't imagine a fire on a ship spreading so far without having had huge time to spread.... of help to spread.

Plus I'd like to echo agreement....

Stupid cigarettes!!!!!

I think smoking is such a filthy and inconsiderate habit. Little redeeming value in it plus now the loss of life and damage... Every smoker on the ship should be detained to walk through the carnage and view the injured. Oh.. even better would be to make every smoker go through and help clean up.

Oh well... I've gone off and vented excessively, pardon my flames.... I still look on cruising as a good way to go on a vacation.... even with a few unwanted suicidal smokers in tow.

 

[Rena75]

another reason why i think cigarettes should not be allowed on board....

i am not trying to open a can of worms and i have close family members that smoke (my dad died of lung cancer from smoking last year too) but cigarettes cause just as many fires as candles/irons do...as you can see i live in oklahoma and we have been under a no burn ban since november but we still have wild fires almost everyday...most of which are started by cigarettes tossed out of car windows....a lit cigarette is the same as an open flame...

the scary part of the picture is look how close it was to the lifeboats on that side....could they have even got people to use those lifeboats....if they had to eveacuate the ship, could they have gotten those boats and everyone off safely since the fire was so close? that is so scary and i pray for everyone who was on board and went through that ordeal...how horrible!

I agree completely. Having cigarettes on board is just as hazardous as irons - if not more so.

Just recently, a town nearby (Calabasas) is in the works to pass a new law -

The new Calabasas secondhand smoke ordinance, which would prohibit smoking in all public areas of the city including parks, sidewalks and outdoor businesses, will take effect by the middle of March, city officials said.

That area is also a high-fire area and I think this is a great idea.

 

[Rence]

I believe Carnival HAD a no-smoking cruise a few years ago, but sadly, this was discontinued, due to lack of business.

Actually, ironically it was Princess that had the the non-smoking cruise ship. (It was not the Star Princess)

 

[atakaratemom]

This is an account from someone who was actually on board. What a scary experience!!

First person: Alarm interrupts idyllic cruise
MSNBC.com editor recounts frightening fire aboard Star Princess

By Susan Lim
Editor
MSNBC
Updated: 2:53 p.m. ET March 23, 2006

MSNBC.com business editor and producer Susan Lim and her husband, Caleb, were aboard the Star Princess when the fire erupted. Here is her description of what she saw:


I think I'm still shocked at what happened last night. Caleb and I were actually awake watching a movie when some messages to the crew were being broadcast around 3 a.m. ET, followed by the emergency call for everyone to get their lifejackets and head to their designated muster stations.

When we headed down to the muster station we could smell smoke. We gathered at our designated muster station and the crew started to tell everyone to calm down and sit down until further directions.

Over the course of the next three hours, we got messages over the speaker system from the captain telling us what was happening. They spent awhile putting out the fire and trying to contain it. During that time they had all the lifeboats out and ready in case we had to use them. It got hot in the gathering areas. Once the fire was out and contained, they began asking if anyone needed to get medicine from their cabins. The elderly people looked tired and confused.

However, the crew members maintained a very positive tone the entire time to try and kept everyone's spirits up. I took a stroll around our gathering area, and people looked very miserable. People were sleeping on the ground in their PJs, robes, etc.

Our friends had a cabin that was near the fire. When they opened their door to leave there was black smoke and they had to crouch to get to the stairs.

A little after we landed at Montego Bay, the captain gave the OK for half the passengers to head back to their rooms, but everyone on the fire side had to wait for at least two more hours. But they had prepared the dining rooms and people were able to go and eat some breakfast.

Within an hour, some people had showered and were even sunbathing on the top deck. The buffet line was up and running and people were again carrying around their beach bags ready to hit the beach.

© 2006 MSNBC Interactive

 

[captaincrash]

I agree completely. Having cigarettes on board is just as hazardous as irons - if not more so.

Just recently, a town nearby (Calabasas) is in the works to pass a new law -

The new Calabasas secondhand smoke ordinance, which would prohibit smoking in all public areas of the city including parks, sidewalks and outdoor businesses, will take effect by the middle of March, city officials said.

That area is also a high-fire area and I think this is a great idea.

Interesting....

We're about 12 miles away in Westlake Village. I say we should make California (or at least LA/Ventura county) a cigarette free state!

 

[HappyLawyer]

very sad, so it would appear someone did not put out a cigarette properly? I don't care if people smoke in the perspective areas that is fine, but please, put items out correctly, my heart goes out.