2 firefighters die battling ship fire at Port Newark in New Jersey

Two firefighters died while trying to put out a fire on an Italian cargo ship carrying thousands of cars at Port Newark in New Jersey, according to multiple reports.

>> Read more trending news

The fire broke out around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday on the Grande Costa d’Avorio, a ship that was docked in the port and carrying about 5,000 cars, News 12 New Jersey reported. “Five or seven” of the cars caught fire, Fire Chief Rufus Jackson said.

Jackson said the fire quickly reached the 11th and 12th floors. The two firefighters tried to extinguish the fire but the intense heat forced them to retreat from the area where the fire first broke out, the chief said at a news conference, according to The New York Times.

The firefighters who died on the ship have not been publicly identified.

Jackson said several “specialized rescue companies” came to assist with primary and secondary searches. The two individuals were removed from the ship, News
12 New Jersey reported

“Two firefighters were lost in this act while conducting this action of backing out of destruction,” Jackson said, according to the television station.

“This was a tragedy, and my heart goes out to the family of each of these members and also the Newark Fire Department,” he told the Times. “We’re going to continue to work, and we’re going to continue to pray for the family of the two members who were lost tonight.”