Fire on the Star Princess

[FlyingRev]

Everyone get on asbestos fire suits..... The flame wars are about to begin... ;)

[cruisingmen]

Don't want to add to any of these debates, but I think the crew should be commended for their actions. After seeing the pictures, it is just amazing that more people were not seriously injured. That's whats important.

 

FYI for those of you booked on future sailings on Star (we're booked on the April 2 sailing), A customer service rep at Princess just told me that they would be contacting pax on future sailings tomorrow to review their options.

[tawcat]

not going to single any of you out, but the cigarette did not start the fire, the jerk that had it lit, threw overboard or whatever, theres your cause. i am a non-smoker, but i really hate people immediately pointing fingers. all of you need to go into a bathroom or wherever you may have a mirror and ask the person looking back at you "have you ever run a stop sign?"

 

my question to all your yes answers, don't you know better, there are signs posted, what else do we have to do to make you stop at a stop sign. hmmm, lets see, i say lets yank all your licenses for a year.

 

a tragic accident caused by someone being careless. we can put this world in a friggin bubble and some jerk is gonna happen along with a straight pin and screw the whole thing up.

 

thankfully someone was aware enough to sound the alarm, probably kept many others from being injured or killed.

[cruisingpeople]

First off, my heart goes out to all those involved and affected by this fire.

 

That said, I find it very strange that a lot of people on this board think that CNN is the official investigator and reporter of this fire. Who told them it was a cigarette? Not somebody from Princess or the Coast Gaurd I'm sure. Remember that the first posts on this board said 1 cabin was damaged, then 3, now after looking at it, the people running the show have said it is 120 cabins. Don't believe the first thing you read everytime. While I understand everyone has and is entitled to their own opinion, wouldn't it be be better to let the official people involved determine and report the cause of the fire? Nobody at this point in time knows what happened.

[captlou]

cigarettes didnt start the fire,the person smoking them did(loui),might as well ban cars on the roads to cause they kill too,and all those gallons of alcohol that everyone has to have in their rooms,that fuelled that fire,if you dont have anything nice to say then keep it to yourself( lou):mad:

You may disagree with what I have to say, sir; but I see nothing "not nice" in the referenced post.

 

We all have the right to express our opinions out here in cyberspace. What we try to avoid are personal attacks against someone with whom we disagree. You always have the option of not reading my posts. In the future, I will scroll past yours.

[sunflower1972]

What a shock to hear of the fire on board the Star Princess. To everyone pointing fingers, is this really the time to do that??The investigation will bring forth the answers....

For me I am personally sad for the families involved in this incident. I say let's be thankful to the wonderful staff who apparantly did a great job in a time of confusion and fear. I am amazed by the extensive damage shown in the pictures that there was not a higher number of injured, and deceased.

It has been a tragic week this week on the water.....the ferry sinking in western canada, the bus accident with cruisers in Chile, and now this.

It makes me all the more thankful of the cruise we had on the Sun Princess in feb.

To you upcoming cruisers on the Star I hope you hear news soon about what your options are.

My thoughts remain with those on the Star,

SF

[tprime76]

I have posted on our web site a page with links to the articles I have found as well as the pages people have put up with pics of the damage. In a fire of this size, it is amazing there weren't more people killed and injured. Please let me know if anyone who has posted these pics objects to them being linked on my site by emailing me at tnewebmaster@gmail.com

 

http://www.tomandemily.com

[Bud&Dorie]

I'm not a smoker and I do hate smokers who are rude and inconsiderate, but what I am reading makes me sick. The cause of the fire has not been official and won't be for several weeks. The most important thing about the whole situation is that considering the amount of passengers, there was not more injured or dead. It seems that even with all the inconviences to the passengers (muster and waiting) Princess knew exactly what to do and they should be commended for it. Wait time is a small price to pay for saving your life. I am sailing on the Sapphire on Saturday and I feel most certain that Princess will be there for me if needed.

[prarie cruiser]

I have never sailed on the Star, but was on her sister ship, Grand Princess several times and am a platinum level Princess customer. All of us of the Princess passenger family are shocked and hurt at the event of the fire.

 

However, let us not yet place blame, but instead focus on the positive things we are hearing. When you see the pictures, you are left wondering how the loss of life was not more. Thankfully, it was not.

 

From passenger accounts we are hearing, the passengers seem to feel the crew acted quickly and efficiently, as we would hope. There is a good reason the crew has all those fire drills, and I think it showed here. If you know anything about fires, you know getting any fire out with wind current present is very difficult. It takes awhile to stop a moving ship, so the wind had an edge.

 

While many passengers will probably ultimately complain they were kept at muster stations for long periods of time, what else could have been done? Its a lot of people and you have to contain them somehow when things like this occur. I am impressed they were able to get some food so quickly and that many were able to return ultimately to their rooms.

 

Let us look at that picture of the ship and count our blessings. Thank you Princess passengers and crew for responding so well.

[ScubaJim]

Is the ship built from flammable material? How could the fire spread so fast and cosume so much? Now I read that 150 cabins were damaged or/and distroyed. Okay Fox News where are you?

[Princess Chatterer]

Jamaica's disaster office said two people remained hospitalized in Montego Bay while two others were being treated in the ship's clinic.

 

Peterkin said 550 passengers whose cabins were damaged will be moved to two hotels in the nearby resort towns of Negril and Ocho Rios. The cruise ship company was arranging to fly other passengers home, he said.

 

http://www.forbes.com/technology/feeds/ap/2006/03/23/ap2617573.html

[TinAngel]

I wonder:

 

1. "cause" is not simple suspect fire investigators from Coast Guard and NTSB will likely put a hold on this ship for a while.

2. "cause" is not just a a cigarette. The ignition source is fairly unimportant. How and why the fire spread is the issue. The CG will demand answers. This could have been a real disaster. It has to be studied how the fire spread so far and fast.

3. Scares me to think that any fire in this area of the ship spread so fast and far. Essential that they figure out what is wrong.

4. Did the crew stop the fire or did the automated systems?

5. Appears passenger's behaved with extraordinary and heroic actions and that is something for every cruise critic member to be proud of. No deadly panic.

6. I salute them

 

We will soon see "lessons learned" from USCG. All we cruisers can do is think

about safety. I always tell folks to take a small waterproof flashlight for each passenger. Carry a "bug out" or "AWOL" bag with all your important documents. Screw the jewerly as that is what insurance is for. I see that adding a bottle of water to one's "bug out" bag is looking essential.

 

Suspect some USN and USCG vets were on board, hope we get some of their comments. Every sailor is while at sea a "fireman". I am now off to investigate what fire fighting training cruise line crews recieve. Any ex navy can atest to knowing about fire at sea. Someone was looking after the passengers and Crew of the Star yesterday.

[FlyingRev]

Irrespective of the cause of the fire, it is only a matter of time before all smoking is banned aboard cruise ships in the US. For many who like to breath air without carcinogens and toxins, then this will be a welcome ban. For those with asthma and impared lung function, it is vital.

 

Smoking is a privledge and not a right. Personally, as long as cigarette smoke does not interfere with anyone's right to breathe 'clean' air, then it should not bother anyone. However when it is a safety issue, then it is everyones concern. Air travel is a prime example of how smoking can be banned. It is only a matter of time before it too is verbotten on cruise ships.

[damtraveler]

Here is a link to stories about the Star Princess fire and other cruise-related stories:

 

http://www.1stheadlines.com/cruise.htm

[vms]

As a soon to be first time cruiser, I wanted to show my support for all those affected by this terrible situation. My condolances to the family of the individual who died, and my sincere congratulations for all (crew and passengers) who were able to keep this from becoming a larger tragedy.

 

Although I am sure that all cruise lines have well trained staff, it gives me peace of mind to see how both Princess and Celebrity are handling these two difficult situations.

[Lane40]

How could a fire started on a balcony cause so much damage? I know if a small fire was started (not a cigarette), but like if someone made a "campfire" sort of thing, then it would build quickly due to ship speed and movement. But, the balcony's are made of steel and do have a couple of items that could burn, like the chairs and the type of matting on the floor. So, guess my question really is...what could be on the balconies that would burn so big and fast? If a spark flew to the next balcony, what would catch on fire to keep the thing going? I seem to recall that with the ship speed and the usual breeze or wind outside on a balcony, it would be near impossible to keep a cigarette spark lit long enough to begin such a massive fire.

 

I am just at a blank in thinking about this. Anyone have thoughts or ideas?

[MaryPoppinz]

My sympathies and prayers to those injured and killed in this fire, and my thoughts to those who will have to make less catastrophic changes as a result of it. I wish you all the best.

[ScoobaMike]

*edit

 

wow, i just learned from searching, i was mistaken on what cruise my dad and stepmom were on

[JanMD]

The curtains could have been open in the cabins- like we normally do- that would have caught on fire and what happened to the sprinkler system on the cabin ceilings??? It is a major concern.

Jan

[redheddad]

How could a fire started on a balcony cause so much damage? I know if a small fire was started (not a cigarette), but like if someone made a "campfire" sort of thing, then it would build quickly due to ship speed and movement. But, the balcony's are made of steel and do have a couple of items that could burn, like the chairs and the type of matting on the floor. So, guess my question really is...what could be on the balconies that would burn so big and fast? If a spark flew to the next balcony, what would catch on fire to keep the thing going? I seem to recall that with the ship speed and the usual breeze or wind outside on a balcony, it would be near impossible to keep a cigarette spark lit long enough to begin such a massive fire.

 

I am just at a blank in thinking about this. Anyone have thoughts or ideas?

on the grand i remember the balcony having carpeting or astroturf. i also think the rails were wood. and if i remember right the partitions/dividers between adjoining balconies were made of some kind of plastic. so scary to think how fast a fire can spread. thank god more people were not hurt. and that crew is to be commended. 1st instinct is to cut and run for most people but they must have stuck to their training to have the limited injuries that they did.

[negc]

I kind of wonder why the ship cannot be sailing the next scheduled cruise. The substructure is not a structural part of the ship so sailing should not be a problem. It is still sea worthy and it seems the only thing damaged was a few rooms. Just block off the damaged rooms and get on with business until a berth comes open in a shipyard. While the ship is cruising, the areas that need repairing could have the replacement sections prefabbed and the ship could be repaired in a couple of weeks once in the yard. I would not think it would have to go to a drydock as the hull was not damaged.

 

Regards

Roger

 

Did you see the pictures of the ship? More than a "few" cabins were involved and many balcony rails seem to have melted away. How about letting the authorities investigate the incident completely, determine what started the fire and why and how it spread to involve so many cabins, and then what fueled the fire with the intensity that caused the damage to the balconies that is evident from just an external view? How did the fire spread from balcony to balcony, room to room? Were there flammable materials present on the balconies? Were bedding, drapes and carpet fire-resistent? A lot of questions have to be answered before this ship can be allowed to carry passengers again and until those facts have been established it would be foolhardy to insist that the ship should just block off the damaged area and continue sailing. The answers to some of the questions might even effect other ships currently sailing.

[Princess Chatterer]

A smoldering cigarette is suspected as the cause of the blaze, said Horace Peterkin, president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association, who toured the ship after it docked here.

 

The ship was not seriously damaged and would sail back to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Friday, Peterkin said.

 

 

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1760845&page=1

[roysue]

This is a tragedy that touches the heart of all cruisers. I want to express my thoughts and condolences to those aboard the Star Princess during this tragedy.

As much as we all want to know "why", we need to keep our minds open to learning the lessons that enhance safety abord ship. We cruise with family in multiple cabins as many others do. We have never had much of a plan for what to do in am emergency aboard ship. This has been a huge wake-up call.

Do you have an emergency plan with your family and friends? - are you going to meet at the muster station? Are you going to meet in your cabin before going to the muster station? Is one person assigned to account for everyone in your group? In the past, we have split our cabins so that we had a port balcony and a starboard balcony - I will not do that again. It would be too frightening not be able to reach out and know where my family memebers are in case of a night-time emergency.

[suzyluvs2cruise]

Here's a picture of the damage to the STAR Princess.

 

[ATTACH]18953[/ATTACH]

 

Our thoughts and prayers are with those who are on the ship and their families.

[Richard Stein]

I was on the Star last may in one of the burned cabins. Our prayers to those affected. It will be strange seeing those burned cabins when you get on the next cruise.