The families of two Newark firefighters killed in the line of duty are mourning their loss. Wayne Brooks Jr. and Augusto Acabou were killed while battling a fire onboard a cargo ship in Port Newark Wednesday night.
President Joe Biden called both families to offer his condolences. Gov. Phil Murphy has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff around the state in their honor. Funeral services are being arranged for next week, and the Newark Firefighters Union has organized a GoFundMe campaign to benefit the families.
The fire continues to burn aboard the Grande Costa D’avorio, which is still docked at Port Newark. The cargo ship had just been loaded with 1,200 vehicles when the fires broke out, creating a space that was nearly impossible for firefighters to work effectively in, according to officials who spoke at a news conference on Friday morning.
Port Authority officials said operations at the port remain largely unaffected, and the U.S. Coast Guard said no significant environmental impacts from the incident have been observed.
Union leaders have said firefighters arriving at the scene did not have the appropriate hoses to handle such a big fire. Officials with the Coast Guard said that’s still being investigated. The cause of the fire is not yet known.
