Fire breaks out on cruise ship with 4,000 aboard
Wire report: One person dead

MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- A fire broke out early Thursday on a Princess cruise ship bound for Jamaica with nearly 4,000 people on board, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

Cruise line officials said one person died, according to The Associated Press.

The Star Princess was en route to the western Caribbean after departing Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Sunday, the cruise line said in a written statement.

The fire began around 3:10 a.m. in the passenger accommodations on the ship, the statement said.

The flames were extinguished but smoke lingers, Princess said, and the cause of the fire is not yet known.

The vessel's 2,690 passengers and 1,123 crew members were bound for the Jamaican port of Montego Bay, according to Princess and Coast Guard officials.

"We are currently completing a full passenger check to account for all passengers and crew," Princess said in a written statement.

The blaze affected passenger decks 9 through 12, about 100 cabins, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Ryan Doss.

The statement from the cruise line said, "Passengers were immediately notified of the fire using the public address system and requested to report to their muster stations."

Family members of passengers can call 1-800-693-7222 for information.

The Coast Guard said it is sending a fire protection engineer, an inspector and an investigating officer to Montego Bay to begin an investigation into the incident.

My husband just saw that report on the Google News site. Following so soon after the news of the Celebrity Millenium passengers that died in the crash of their independent bus crash tour, this causes us to stop and count our blessings for all the safe times we have enjoyed while traveling.

Once again, our hearts and prayers to all those affected by this tragedy.

Wow. I've been searching through the news reports to figure out who died and how, and I finally found this:

"Gerald Cahill, chief financial officer of the shipping line, said one person apparently died of a heart attack, while two passengers suffered from significant smoke inhalation."

Still not sure if it was a passenger or crewmember who died. I find it strange, however, that the reports continue to say that one person was "killed" when the person died of a heart attack. It's entirely possible this person was already health-compromised, and the stress caused the attack...tragic of course, but it seems inaccurate to say the person was "killed" by the fire.

I can't believe there's another awful tragedy the very day after the Millenium one. More prayers out to those affected.

They just showed pictures of it on MSNBC. It looks like the ship has some extensive fire damage. It doesn't look like it was a small fire at all. It looks like 100 cabins were destroyed and not just damaged.

A passenger posted from Jamaica and said that she and her husband had lost everything except the clothes on their backs. That was earlier, before I left to go shopping.

How tragic!

Such a sad day for the cruise industry overall. :(

I just heard on CNN that there were 150 cabins affected and that the cause of ther fire was someone smoking on their balcony.
Another very good reason to ban smoking on cruise liners!!!

Smoking being the cause of the fire did cross my mind, but I didn't want to say that before it was confirmed.

I am in total agreement with you David & Betty to ban smoking on cruise ships (sorry as I don't mean to offend anyone on here that is a smoker).

Another great tragedy. Our prayers and best wishes to all those impacted.

As a smoker, I ONLY smoke on the balcony and not in the cabin. I've always thought this was very safe....I'm wondering if this person could have been stupid enough to throw a lit cigarette overboard?? Something you NEVER do!

Whatever the circumstances, it is soooooooo sad!!!

I hope the details are eventually published, I can only guess that they threw it overboard. I originally thought (yes, I know that's not what caused it) it might be a candle in a cabin, so many people think they need to take those for "romance".

Don't each of the cabins have a sprinkler? The fire damaged so much of the ship!

That is such an awful photo. Such devastation. It's very, very sad and unfortunate.

Wow! so much for "small fire"

Oh that is just terrible - sure looks like it did a lot of damage. My heart goes out to all on that cruise!

Due to all the European passengers I think it is highly unlikely that smoking will ever be totally banned on cruise ships.
Also, when I did a crossing several years ago Capt Knut had some type of fire drill for the crew every day of the trip. He said it's the most serious of violations that the Coast Guard looks for when inspecting a ship.

You just can't control the passengers, though. I really think that smoking should be far more controlled onboard, the way I've heard that it is on Oceania. I don't remember the specifics, but I recall reading that they don't allow smoking in the cabins at all, or even on the balconies -- that smoking is only allowed in designated areas on the ship. Is that accurate? If so, even though it's clearly a bit of a hardship for smokers, it's a whole lot better than having to worry about someone who imbibed a bit too much at the casino falling asleep in bed with a lit cig, putting the rest of the passenger's lives in danger. I think it's a small price for smokers to pay for safety.

While this incident is truly devastating, I do hope that it inspires some new smoking policies on the cruiselines.

When Crusinfanatic and I were on the Mariner through the Canal in 2003, the French Trolley we were using on the Cordon Bleu class literally exploded into flames in Latitudes, where the class was. The Kitchen staff acted so quickly with the fire extinguisher and the entire staff went on alert. it was out before we realized the severity of it. Jamie was in charge of the announcements and it was out before anyone got there. While it was the highlight of the day for topics of conversation, you can be sure, it was scary.

And during MUSTER, they always tell you NOT to throw your cigarettes overboard just because they WILL blow back into the ship.

I posted this elsewhere but thought I would share here... I've been sick about this all day.

My brother-in-law & his fiance were on the ship - we've received a few emails from him as they are finding out what's next.

They were in a cabin on one of the impacted decks, on the same side as the fire, and when the alarms went off, peeked outside and saw the fire raging. Luckily they were about 12 cabins forward of the fire because it spread toward the stern. They are now in a hotel in Montego Bay & flying home tomorrow or Saturday. They are fine, just very worn out from the all-night ordeal.

Princess had everyone muster right away and were very close to loading the lifeboats at sea when they got the fire under control.

The death was a passenger who had a heart attack during the muster.

Just awful, isn't it?

So glad your family is safe!!! Wake up call for all of us to love what we have today - no more complaining - Joanna

I ditto what Joanna said! I am happy they made it through this ordeal unharmed!

This is so scary. One of my cruising fears is a fire onboard.

I agree with LeeAnne that it's hard to control passenger behavior. When we were on the Voyager in Jan/Feb, Alan had an uncomfortable experience one day. He stepped onto the elevator and another couple was already there. The man had something in his hand and quickly hid it behind his back. It was a lit cigarette! Alan didn't say anything but got off as quickly as he could. Who would ever smoke on an elevator? That's incredibly dangerous.

Which brings me to a question. How does a cruise lines enforce the rules? And, do they really try to enforce them?

A passenger on our last cruise never put anyone in harm but insisted on her own way. She made life difficult for crew and passengers. One day, during a very crowded event on the pool deck, she was upset because the wave action from the pool was splashing her. So, she moved her chair (she was intent on sunning herself) to an area between some of the tables and the pool. It completely blocked access for passengers and wait staff between the grill and the bar. The crew was afraid of her and I actually saw the maitre d walk away rather than dealing with the situation. I don't blame him. She was constantly complaining to Capt. Dag and Lars about everything. But, amazingly, her behavior was tolerated. A passenger confronted her but it didn't fix the situation, just made for a bad scene.

So, will a cruise line enforce the rules if it means alienating a well-paying client?