Firefighters battle 400-degree heat on Coast Guard cutter

A fire on board the dry-docked Coast Guard Cutter Gallatin was contained in about three hours Friday, causing no injuries beyond the severe heat exhaustion that responders faced as temperatures reached an estimated 400 degrees in the burn area.

The cause of the blaze was attributed to welding and steel-cutting work that sent a wayward spark into the insulation.

Fire crews had to drag hoses through a maze of twists and stairs to reach the flames, two decks down and toward the stern. Sometimes they were blinded by heavy smoke.

Many of the responders also had to be switched out after fewer than 15 minutes below deck, worn out by their heavy gear and the oppressive heat.

"Two of my people had to be treated for heat exhaustion," North Charleston Fire Chief Greg Bulanow said during a news conference.

Gallatin Executive Officer David J. Rokes said the fire occurred in a storage area measuring 20 by 30 feet. It was difficult to reach the hot spots, he said, because the flames were hidden.

"The fire was behind the insulation," Rokes said.

North Charleston Fire and Life Safety Educator Bianca Sancic said the fire was out by 9 p.m. Friday, and that the Coast Guard would be patrolling periodically to keep an eye on the cutter.

The Gallatin is at Detyens Shipyard's Dry Dock No. 2 on the former Navy base complex. The 378-foot high-endurance class vessel and the Dallas, its fellow cutter, went into dry dock there in March for a combined $15 million in much-needed repairs.

It is too early to determine the dollar-cost damage from the blaze, Rokes said, adding that large amounts of firehose water that filled the ship must drained. The storeroom holds spare engineering parts and items for the ship's store, he said.

When the fire broke out, a number of Detyens workers were on board, as was the Gallatin's crew. Crews from the Dallas also took part in fighting the fire, as did responders from as far away as Mount Pleasant, Summerville, St. Paul's and Charleston, who came to support the North Charleston department.

Air-conditioned tents were used for those suffering from the heat.

The two ships went into dry dock after they had fallen into such a state of disrepair that they were considered too deteriorated to chase drug runners or deliver humanitarian supplies. Their recall leaves only 10 ships, all based in the Pacific Ocean, in this class of Coast Guard cutters.

Reach Schuyler Kropf at 937-5551 or skropf@postandcourier.com.