Fire crews battled an intense blaze early Tuesday morning at the site of the former U.S. Naval Support Activity base in New Orleans. The New Orleans Fire Department (NOFD) was called to the scene at the intersection of Poland Ave. and Chartres St. at approximately 3:00 a.m. and arrived five minutes later to a significant fire on the second floor of one of the base’s structures, as reported by the City of New Orleans website.
The severity of the fire led officials to escalate the response to a second alarm at 3:57 a.m., necessitating a large-scale operation to combat the growing flames, with the intervention eventually involving seventeen NOFD Fire Operations units and forty-six personnel members. Efforts continued until the blaze was declared under control at 5:16 a.m. There were no injuries reported by the NOFD during the operation, and although the building's dilapidated state and evidence of vagrants fleeing the scene have been noted, the cause of the fire has not been established.
According to the official statement from the NOFD, "Upon arrival, firefighters were confronted with a larger fire on the second floor of one of the buildings of this former U.S. Navy base." This added layer of urgency to the operation, with the complexities of the former military installation presenting unique challenges for fire suppression efforts.
The NOFD has yet to release further details on the incident, with the investigation into the cause of the fire ongoing, in the past, abandoned structures such as the former Navy base have been known to attract homeless individuals seeking shelter, which could complicate both rescue efforts and fire investigation procedures, the presence of vagrants was confirmed by the NOFD, who observed several individuals leaving the site amid firefighting activities, yet it remains unconfirmed if their presence is related to the cause of the incident.
