Fire breaks out aboard Royal Caribbean cruise ship in Jamaica

Fire aboard the Freedom of the Seas began in mechanical space

JAMAICA – A cruise ship that departed from Florida caught fire while in a Jamaican port.

Passengers aboard Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas used social media to send out pictures of smoke billowing from the top of the ship.

The ship was attempting to dock in Falmouth, Jamaica, when the fire broke out at about 9:30 a.m.

According to the Miami-based cruise line, the fire started in a mechanical space and was contained and extinguished.

Before the fire was put out, all guests were mustered to their assembly stations.

"We saw a lot of black smoke with debris in it," ship passenger Jayne Giesler told Local 10 News. "We weren't even sure if it was normal or not. We assumed it was until the stateroom attendant came to our door and said, 'Get your life jackets and head down to the muster station.'"

Royal Caribbean said all systems are currently functioning.

The ship originally departed from Cape Canaveral on Sunday and had arrived in Jamaica after a stop in Labadee, Haiti.

Royal Caribbean said one crew member suffered minor burns and no passengers were injured.

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