TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Photos shared to social media on Thursday show smoke and flames billowing from a Carnival cruise ship docked in Turks and Caicos.
Passengers told Nexstar’s WFLA that Carnival Freedom left Port Canaveral, Florida, on Monday and was docked in Grand Turk when the fire broke out inside the ship’s funnel on Thursday.
“The Carnival Freedom’s funnel/exhaust system is currently on fire in Grand Turk’s port,” said Blake, a passenger on the Carnival Mardis Gras, which was docked next to the Freedom when the fire started.
Passengers on the ship said they had to assemble at the muster station and put on life jackets. No evacuations were ordered.
Source: Justin Reavis Source: Justin Reavis Source: Jeremy BakerSource: Justin Reavis Source: Twitter.com/BlakeTheRxGuySource: Justin Reavis
The Carnival Corporation said the flames were “quickly” extinguished, but did not detail the cause of the fire.
“Carnival Freedom’s emergency response team quickly activated and extinguished a fire inside the ship’s funnel while the ship was in Grand Turk,” the cruise line wrote in a statement shared with Nexstar.
Carnival added that all guests and crew were safe, and had been cleared by local authorities to go ashore.
“We are all safe and were able to disembark as planned,” one passenger said. “As to what happens next, we have no clue.”
Another passenger was told the ship — which was in the middle of a five-day cruise — would set sail for Miami later in the day.
Carnival has said it will continue to assess the situation.