Cruise ship evacuates 51 passengers in Alaska after engine room fire, officials say

An engine room fire aboard the Wilderness Discoverer cruise ship resulted in the evacuation of 51 passengers, the U.S. Coast Guard reported.

Sixteen crew members also evacuated the 178-foot ship following the fire reported at 7:30 a.m. on Monday, June 5, at Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska, the agency said in a news release.

Two Coast Guard cutters, a helicopter and National Park Service rescuers responded to the emergency, officials said. No injuries or pollution were reported.

Eleven crew members stayed aboard the ship to rendezvous with a tugboat to be towed to Ketchikan.

The fire was confined to the engine room, ship owner UniCruise Adventures said in a news release.

“Our highly trained crew promptly extinguished the fire using established emergency protocols, and CO2 was successfully deployed for everyone’s safety,” CEO Dan Blanchard said in a statement.

Passengers will receive a full refund, the company said. It also will pay for hotel stays and return flights home.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation, UniCruise Adventures said.

This story was originally published June 6, 2023 at 9:51 AM with the headline "Cruise ship evacuates 51 passengers in Alaska after engine room fire, officials say."