The Newark ship fire that killed two firefighters in 2023 was caused by crews using an unsuitable vehicle to push cars onto the ship, federal investigators said Tuesday.
Augusto “Augie” Acabou, 45, and Wayne “Bear” Brooks Jr., 49, were killed while responding to the blaze on the Grande Costa D’Avorio at Port Newark on July 5, 2023.
The fire started with a Jeep Wrangler, which was being used to push non-running vehicles onto the ship, the National Transportation Safety Board said in its report. Investigators said the Jeep had been recalled because its transmission could cause fluid to catch fire if overheated, according to WCBS.
Hours before the fire started, at least one crew member spotted smoke coming from the Jeep. However, it was used throughout the day to push vehicles on board despite not meeting Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards.
“Maybe it was a readily available vehicle,” one NTSB investigator said Tuesday. “Maybe they overlooked OSHA requirements that it couldn’t be used in that manner.”
Eventually, the Jeep caught fire and started “dripping fireballs,” one worker said. Two more factors led to Acabou and Brooks’ deaths, according to the NTSB, which does not prosecute criminal cases but instead issues safety recommendations.
The ship’s fire control plan was inadequate, because it required one exterior door to be closed from the inside, NTSB investigators said. If the door had been closed, a carbon dioxide suppression system could’ve stopped the fire’s spread.
Additionally, the feds said Newark’s fire department had inadequate training for cargo ships and should not have sent smoke-eaters on board.
Acabou and Brooks died after getting lost on the ship. Newark firefighters were sent in even though all 28 crew members had been safely evacuated and accounted for.
“I hope that Newark fire department leadership is listening,” NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said. “This isn’t just a failure of communication. This was a failure of leadership.”