Investigative Hearings Open Into Cargo Ship Fire That Killed 2 New Jersey Firefighters

Emergency personnel battle against a fire aboard the Italian-flagged Grande Costa d'Avorio cargo ship at the Port of Newark in Newark, N.J., on July 7, 2023. John Minchillo/AP Photo

UNION, N.J.—Federal investigators began several days of hearings Wednesday into a dockside cargo ship fire that killed two New Jersey firefighters last summer at one of the busiest U.S. seaports.

The Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the July 5 blaze in which the Italian-owned Grande Costa d’Avorio caught fire in Port Newark. The vessel was carrying more than 1,200 automobiles.