U.S. Navy officers on Monday have been working to identify what caused a significant fire on the USS Bonhomme Richard, an amphibious assault ship, that resulted in 17 wounded sailors and four civilians.

A lot of the blaze, which is continue to burning as of Monday morning, is nevertheless unfamiliar, together with the extent of the damages to the ship, which is docked at the San Diego Naval Base. The San Diego Union-Tribune noted that a commander of the Expeditionary Strike Team 3 explained the early principle is that the hearth began in a reduce cargo hold.

The paper, citing an e mail from the Navy, noted that 13 sailors were in stable problem. Two federal firefighters had been also hospitalized, in accordance to the report.

The blaze was noted on the ship soon prior to 9 a.m., claimed Krishna Jackson, the base’s public information officer. Later Sunday, the Navy said two guided-missile destroyers were being moved absent from the Bonhomme Richard just after it caught fire. 1 of the warships compelled to switch berths was the USS Fitzgerald, which experienced just returned to the fleet pursuing a collision at sea off the coastline of Japan three several years back that killed seven sailors.

Because of its age (23), a fire could be notably harmful, especially if it attained the engine home and other tight spaces with equipment, stated Lawrence B. Brennan, a professor of admiralty and intercontinental maritime law at Fordham University in New York.

“The heat of a fireplace of this nature can warp the steel, and that can be a key trouble for any ship,” stated Brennan. “On an older ship, it is even far more of a challenge.”

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The paper, citing a Navy formal, said the ship will be repaired.

Fox News’ Bradford Betz and the Related Press contributed tom this report