A sailor checks dryer vents in a laundry room aboard the world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford, on Nov. 5, 2025. Three sailors suffered non-life-threatening injuries as a result of a fire that started in the ship’s laundry room last week, according to the Navy. (Alexis Fowler/U.S. Navy)
NAPLES, Italy — A potent mixture of flammable materials, equipment pushed beyond its limits and human error could be behind a fire last week aboard the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, according to a shipping expert.
“It’s just a smorgasbord of danger all put together,” said Sal Mercogliano, an adjunct professor at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.
The Ford, along with nearly 4,500 personnel, is operating in the Red Sea in support of Operation Epic Fury, the ongoing joint American and Israeli military campaign against Iran.
The carrier left Norfolk, Va., in late June for a then-routine deployment to Europe that unexpectedly included duty in the Caribbean Sea and the Middle East.
That extended time at sea also could have been a factor in the March 12 fire in the main laundry areas, Mercogliano said.
“Equipment that normally would be serviced and taken down may be running at levels past when they need to run,” Mercogliano said. “Anytime you go past normal operating hours, the chances of mechanical and human error increase.”
Three sailors aboard the ship were injured as a result of the fire, which the Navy said was fully contained the same day.
None of the injuries were life-threatening, and two of the sailors have since returned to duty, while the third remains in stable condition after being flown off the ship for treatment.
It’s not clear how the fire started, and the Navy has released few details. The fire did not impact the ship’s propulsion plant, and Ford remains fully operational, the Navy said at the time.
On Wednesday, U.S. Central Command said military operations against Iran included more than 8,000 combat flights since launching the campaign Feb. 28. Those flights include hundreds of Navy and Air Force aircraft.
The cause of the Ford fire is under investigation, a U.S. military official said Tuesday.
“As it is being investigated, the ship’s forces are inspecting and overhauling affected spaces,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of they were not authorized to speak publicly.
The official didn’t say whether crew living quarters had been affected. But there are indications the fire may have displaced hundreds of sailors, potentially destroying bedding and personal possessions.
A sailor assigned to the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier unloads blankets from a dryer in the ship’s laundry room in this undated photo. Increased operations and deferred maintenance may have been to blame for a fire that started in the ship’s laundry room last week. (Brian Glunt/U.S. Navy)
On Tuesday, the Navy Exchange said it had liquidated its inventory of black boots available for sale at several bases in Europe in support of Ford.
The New York Times reported this week that more than 600 sailors and crew members had been uprooted by the fire, sleeping on the floor and on tables. It took more than 30 hours to fully extinguish the fire, according to the NYT report.
Also on Tuesday, USNI News reported that Ford would soon leave the Red Sea to undergo repairs at U.S. Naval Support Activity Souda Bay on the Greek island of Crete, citing an unnamed senior U.S. official.
Military officials contacted by Stars and Stripes would not say whether Ford would depart the Middle East, citing operational security.
Shipboard laundry and dry-cleaning facilities on aircraft carriers are vast areas situated in the lower deck areas of vessels.
They house industrial washers capable of extracting dirt, grease and other gunk from fabric and powerful dryers that can churn out as much as 100 pounds of clean uniforms and other items per cycle for thousands of personnel.
The facilities also include pressers, irons and other equipment and piles of clothing, bedding and other items in various stages of laundering.
They require huge amounts of electricity and generate significant heat, requiring ample air conditioning to keep sailors and equipment cool.
Electrical problems and delayed maintenance of equipment, including uncleaned lint filters in laundry areas, are among the chief causes of fires on ships, said a Navy sailor not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Those fires most commonly happen in mechanical spaces, laundry areas and berthings, where high temperatures and combustible materials are factors, the sailor said.
If Ford’s firefighters, known as damage controlmen, couldn’t immediately put out the fire, they would have sealed the area to isolate the blaze, Mercogliano and the sailor said.
That method takes time for flames and heat to subside.
It’s also why any adjacent compartments, such as a berthing area, would have been evacuated, Mercogliano said, adding that smoke and heat damage may also have affected adjacent compartments.
Mercogliano compared the length of time it may have taken to completely extinguish the fire on Ford and ensure there were no hot spots to that of a similar event in August aboard the USS New Orleans near Okinawa, Japan.
In that case, it took 12 hours before a fire aboard the amphibious transport dock ship was fully extinguished. Two sailors were slightly injured.
Ensuring that a fire is fully extinguished, inspecting affected areas and making sure there is no chance of a reflash isn’t an easy, quick process and can take hours, the sailor said.
Indications that the Ford fire was limited to the main laundry areas and potentially a berthing space are signs that damage controlmen and sailors quickly responded defensively to the fire.
In the aftermath of serious ship fires, such as the one on the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard in July 2020, the Navy has redoubled its focus on firefighting and training, Mercogliano noted.
That focus is front of mind for all service members who train daily with the mindset that fighting ship fires is every sailor’s responsibility, the sailor said.
“It’s not something that can be put on the back burner,” they said.
