Hundreds evacuated off Staten Island Ferry after fire breaks out

Hundreds of people were evacuated off a Staten Island Ferry after a fire broke out during the evening rush on Thursday, according to the FDNY.

The blaze started in the engine room on a vessel called the Sandy Ground just before 5:20 p.m., forcing the 866 passengers and 16 crew members on board into life jackets and onto other boats, officials said.

The small fire was limited to the mechanical room and the ferry was anchored near Bayonne, the Department of Transportation said.

Crew members hit the fire with carbon dioxide and closed the engine room door to suppress it.

588 passengers were transferred to NY Waterway’s Franklin Delano Roosevelt ferry and taken to St. George Ferry Terminal on Staten Island, NY Waterway said in a statement. The rest of the passengers were put on other ferries and taken to the same terminal.

Five people, including three crew members, suffered minor smoke inhalation, officials said at a news conference.

The fire department was set to tug the Sandy Ground back to Staten Island, where they will wait 24 hours before unsealing the engine room door to ensure the fire is out.

In a statement posted to DOT’s Twitter feed, the agency thanked the Sandy Ground’s Capt. Joseph Ajar, his crew and the rest of the staff for their quick thinking.

The union that represents the Staten Island Ferry crew called the fire “very alarming” after they had been “deeply concerned” for the safety of passengers and crew aboard new Ollis vessels, which the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association claims have had “serious issues and the DOT failed to train our members on the new fleet.”

“Our dedicated and experienced mariners are working long, tireless hours to maintain our service,” the union said. “It is time for the Mayor and NYCDOT to work with us to hear our staffing and safety concerns.”

The Ollis vessels first opened to passenger service in February.

Capt. John Garvey, DOT deputy commissioner and chief operating officer of the Staten Island Ferry, told reporters all the safety systems onboard worked and “nothing of this nature” has ever occurred on any of the new Ollis vessels.

DOT did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the claims.

The cause of the fire is under investigation as authorities determine whether the ferry is safe to return to service.