Hawaii Coast Guard crews assist investigation into massive boat fire in Samoa

PAGO PAGO (HawaiiNewsNow) - Coast Guard crews from Hawaii are in American Samoa Friday helping with the investigation of a commercial fishing vessel fire.

The Jeanette caught fire at the commercial cargo pier in Pago Pago on Wednesday and burned for several hours.

The vessel was eventually towed offshore and was still on fire until it eventually sank Thursday morning. The vessel sank about 17 nautical miles off of the main island in waters about 12,000 feet deep.

“The vessel poses minimal risk to residents and the environment,” said Lt. Al Blaisdell, supervisor of the Marine Safety Detachment American Samoa. “Due to the depth of water, we understand there will be no salvage attempted."

Blaisdell and other Coast Guard personnel continue to investigate the cause of the blaze, which he considers to be a “major marine casualty.”

“Our focus now is understanding how this happened and work to prevent future occurrences,” Blaisdell.

Fortunately, no one was hurt in the blaze.

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