An 11 hour fire aboard the amphibious transport dock USS New Orleans caused roughly $12 million in damage after basic storage failures, inadequate preparation and human mistakes helped turn a shipboard emergency into an exhausting ordeal.
The blaze erupted on Aug. 20, 2025, while the San Antonio class warship was operating off Okinawa, Japan.
Sailors eventually extinguished the flames, although two service members suffered minor injuries during the response.
A Navy command investigation did not determine the precise cause of the fire, and a separate Naval Criminal Investigative Service inquiry remained active when the report was signed.
Investigators did, however, rule out several other possible causes.
“As of the signing of this report, the NCIS investigation is ongoing, and the precise ignition source of the fire is unknown,” the report said.
“As other causes (e.g., electrical, weather) have been ruled out, NCIS’ initial findings attributed the fire to human interaction, either intentional or due to negligence.”
Whatever produced the first spark, the report found that human error and poor storage practices made the emergency considerably worse.
About 100 boxes of toilet paper had been stacked inside a special clothing storeroom, where they blocked sprinkler heads that otherwise could have attacked the flames.
The toilet paper also provided ample fuel, allowing the fire to expand and burn longer. In a detail that further exposed sloppy storage discipline, investigators discovered aerosol cans and other hazardous materials that were not authorized for that space.
The crew and fire investigators also struggled to identify the location of the blaze, even though an alarm directed responders toward the special clothing storeroom.
That lost time allowed heat, smoke and flames to gain ground inside the ship.
Once responders finally located the fire, they could not force their way into the storeroom because they lacked the proper entry equipment.
The investigation determined that suitable tools and stronger training would have increased the likelihood of reaching the flames earlier.
The response suffered another setback when a firefighting system protecting a nearby flammable liquids storeroom activated prematurely.
Investigators outside the special clothing storeroom were forced to retreat, further delaying their effort to reach the source.
Crews also failed to establish effective fire and smoke boundaries, according to the command investigation.
As a result, smoke spread through the vessel while firefighting water flooded the forward vacuum, collecting, holding and transfer tank.
Shipboard boundaries are meant to contain a casualty by closing openings and restricting the movement of flames and smoke. When those measures are not properly established, a localized emergency can quickly become a shipwide threat.
Leadership aboard the New Orleans also lacked an adequate understanding of the vessel’s firefighting systems, including its sprinklers and ventilation equipment.
The report found that crews should have placed greater emphasis on controlling ventilation instead of simply pouring more water into the affected spaces.
Excessive water generated steam, reduced visibility, flooded compartments and made it more difficult for sailors to reach the seat of the fire.
It was a costly reminder that shipboard damage control requires disciplined decisions, not merely more hoses and more water.
The New Orleans returned to its homeport for planned maintenance in November 2025 and rejoined the fleet in January 2026.
The ship later helped enforce the Navy blockade of the Strait of Hormuz following the beginning of the Iran war.
Although the exact ignition source remains unresolved, the Navy said the hard lessons from the fire are now being incorporated throughout the force.
That is necessary because toilet paper should never be allowed to defeat a warship’s sprinkler system, and sailors should not reach a locked fire space without the equipment needed to enter it.
“The insights gained from this incident have been integrated into damage control training and inspection requirements across the Navy, helping ensure that Sailors and Marines throughout the force are better prepared to respond when casualties occur in the future,” a Navy spokesperson told Military Times in an emailed statement.
The New Orleans survived and returned to operational duty, but the investigation presents an uncomfortable readiness warning.
Training, storage discipline, equipment access and competent leadership remain essential because at sea, small failures have a nasty habit of becoming multimillion dollar disasters.
