A non-combat fire broke out Thursday aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford while the aircraft carrier was operating in the Red Sea, the U.S. Navy announced.
The blaze originated in the ship’s main laundry spaces and was extinguished, U.S. Central Command said in a statement posted to X. Two sailors sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were in stable condition, the Navy said. The cause of the fire was not combat-related, according to officials, who said additional information would be provided when available.
The carrier’s propulsion plant was undamaged, and the vessel remained fully operational, the Navy said. Naval Sea Systems Command’s Forward Deployed Regional Maintenance Center was preparing to assist with electrical support, according to USNI News.
As of Wednesday, the Ford was operating in the northern Red Sea off the coast of Al Wajh, Saudi Arabia. The carrier and three of its escorts — USS Mahan, USS Bainbridge and USS Winston S. Churchill — transited the Suez Canal last week.
The Ford Carrier Strike Group, which includes nearly 4,500 sailors, has been participating in Operation Epic Fury, the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran now entering its second week.
The carrier departed Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, on June 24, 2025, for what was initially a regularly scheduled deployment to the U.S. European Command area of responsibility. It was subsequently redirected to the U.S. Southern Command area for counter-narcotics operations before being extended and sent to the Middle East ahead of the start of hostilities with Iran.
As of Monday, the Ford had been at sea for 261 days. Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. James Kilby recently told lawmakers he anticipated the carrier would reach an 11-month deployment. Should the Ford remain deployed until mid-April, it would break the post-Vietnam War record of 294 days set by USS Abraham Lincoln in 2020. If the carrier remains out until early May, it would begin approaching the all-time record of 332 days held by USS Midway, which was deployed at sea for that stretch during the Vietnam War.
The fire is the latest in a string of maintenance challenges for the Ford during its current deployment. The vessel has also experienced persistent plumbing problems with its nearly 650 toilets, with the ship’s vacuum collection system, which transports and disposes of wastewater, repeatedly malfunctioning. NPR reported the Ford had called for assistance with the issue 42 times since 2023, including 32 times in 2025 alone.
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