fire on star

[cnmiranda]

Actually: the cigarette could have been from any cabin, blown into the balcony of the cabin where it started. I know, as this happened to our balcony once. We were sitting out on the balcony one night, and a cigarette came flying down and landed on our balcony. Had we not been there, it may have started our pad on the chair on fire.

This could have been the case on the Star.

 

My thoughts also, we'll have to see. It's amazing, if that is indeed the cause that one cigarette caused so much damage.

[ssantow]

In today's world, I think there are more no-smokers then smokers. With that said, cruise lines should have smoking and non-smoking ships. Carnival has this already.

 

Wrong! Carnival HAD this. Turns out they could not come close to filling the ship so they dropped it fast.

 

This is not the first fire on a ship, POSSIBLY, started by a cigarette. I too have woken up and walked out on my balcony to find cigarette butts that ended up there from someone else's cabin or balcony.

 

If a non-smoker wants to sail on a "smoking permitted" ship, then so be it. If people want to sail on a non smoking vessel so be it. It would become a freedom of choice.

 

...and if you do not want to sail on a "smoking permitted" ship you are free to choose too.

 

Most of these cruise lines have similar ships going to similar ports anyway, this is not a big deal to this. I do think however, that asking a smoker NOT to smoke for 3-9 even 14 days is not realistic unless of course those passengers are looking to do a cold turkey, stop smoking, cruise.

 

Smoking on ships in general is annoying for the most part. I used to smoke but stopped 10 years ago. There isn't a cruise that I have been on where someone sits at a table in the casino and starts blowing smoke all over the place. Or in the night clubs. Yes, smokers have rights, but in such confined areas like cruise ships, it becomes annoying. Then on top of all that, your clothes smell of smoke when you return to your cabin.

 

The truth comes out. Another selfrightous former smoker wanting to reform the world.

 

Ok, I am venting and maybe this fire was not started by a cigarette, but if they find it was, maybe it is time for cruise lines to have stricter policies or go to smoking permitted and non-smoking ships all together. In fact it may increase their bottom line as there may be a lot of potential non-smoking passengers that may start cruising if they had that choice but have not cruised because they know about the smoking on the ships.

 

Please folks...till we have proof positive of the cause of this accident lets not rant about this group or that group and lets just stick to the subject.

 

{climbing down from my soap box and apologizing to any I may have offended}

 

 

[jennat]

Racerbc:D :D :D

Thanks, hope I didn't come across to strong also!:D

[camperhawk]

The cruise line notes that the cause is still unknown -- despite rampant speculation elsewhere that the cause of the fire was a still-lit cigarette -- and Princess is working with the U.S. Coast Guard to assess the damage.

[suzyluvs2cruise]

Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone on the STAR Princess and their families

 

[Cruisin' Chick]

The Star Princess was our first cruise on Princess. So sad, especially after yesterday's bus accident.

 

We went on the Paradise in March 2001 and it was truly our favorite cruise. It was so nice to be on a clean ship, with no carpet burns or stink in the hallways. We really think the passengers were the nicest (and sanest) we have encounter. Not a single jerk. Right after our cruise, we met some parents in our post-cruise hotel and told them about the non-smoking ship. They didn't know there was such a ship. For the next few years (before the ship was changed), we told many people about the Paradise. Most of them didn't know you can cruise on a non-smoking ship.

 

We were even waiting for the ship to come out to the west coast and go on it again. We were so disappointed to find out smoking was allowed.

 

I don't believe it was really a case of not being able to fill the cabins. If it was, advertising, Pr and marketing would have solved that matter. I understand that non-smoking passengers don't usually spend that much on the other addictive activities (drinking and gambling) but so what. Give people a choice.

 

BTW, there are sprinklers in the room. We had gotten a call on our last cruise from the bridge when my hubby was showering with the bathroom door ajar and it set off the heat detector.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Here's an intereseting story on smoking bans:

http://www.nbc4.tv/news/7963148/detail.html

[electricron]

The SS United States was built over 50 years ago as a virtually fireproof ship.

 

There was little stuff aboard that would catch on fire, even from an unattendent cigarette.

 

Blame the smokers all you want, or blame electrical appliances, but it IS technically achieveable to build a fire proof ship if the cruise lines wished. The technology required has been around for decades, if not centuries.

 

The pad on the chair on the balcony could easily have been made from fire resistant materials. Sadly it wasn't! Furniture, bedspreads and sheets can be too. I have to wear flame resistant clothing at work, so I know they exist, and they really aren't more expensive than flamable clothing.

 

Obviously, some form of fire detectors are also needed for balconies, and there are many detectors available that can be used. Sadly, none are.

 

Fire is every sailors biggest nightmare. It's time cruise lines take a more proactive approach to detecting fires, and using more flame resistant materials.

[BBQ Bill]

We went on the Paradise in March 2001 and it was truly our favorite cruise. It was so nice to be on a clean ship' date=' with no carpet burns or stink in the hallways. We really think the passengers were the nicest (and sanest) we have encounter. Not a single jerk.

 

[b']How condescending - the insinuation that all smokers are jerks, or at least that all jerks are smokers. I know some non-smokers who are the definition of a jerk and some smokers who are anything but. [/b]

 

I don't believe it was really a case of not being able to fill the cabins. If it was, advertising, Pr and marketing would have solved that matter. I understand that non-smoking passengers don't usually spend that much on the other addictive activities (drinking and gambling) but so what. Give people a choice.

 

Give people a choice!!!!!!!!! People were given a choice and they chose to continue sailing on ships that permitted smoking. I didn't think you could be more condescending than your previous comment, but I was wrong. I can't imagine how you would justify your statement about the addictive activities of smokers and non-smokers, but it would be fascinating to see you attempt to prove it.

 

Have a nice day.

[spongerob]

I have not seen anything official stating what the actual cause of the fire was, yet look at all the speculation. How about we wait for the investigators to give their report, then we can beat each other up discussing appropriate policy changes, if any. Added since I can finally read some other threads - the source for this rumor is a Jamaican Tourism Official - not Princess or the Coast Guard

 

I can't imagine that a chair cushion on a balcony could cause all that damage and such heat in just seconds. There just doesn't seem to be enough fuel present - unless those chair pads use urethane foam, which was outlawed years ago since it turns into its own accelerant. Something caused that fire to flare and spread FAST in conditions that don't seem conducive. Perhaps someone who really knows what they're talking about will chime in, boards permitting.Added - I've also just read Firefighterhoop's comments...interesting

[Lady Anna & Sir Troy]

From another post:

 

 

My thoughts and condolences to everyone involved - including the crew and staff. It concerns me that people sat in Muster Roll Call for 7 hours. This should have been a much quicker process and there should have been food! :eek:

 

I was in a balcony cabin of the Star a few months ago during Hurricane Wilma. The balconys are concrete with wood balisters and floor to ceiling windows incased in metal. They have plastic chairs and a few would have the wooden lounge chairs. It's very likely a balcony or two did catch on fire as they put on a LOT of polyurethane on their balconies and this will keep them from rotting and are more likely to burn. There were a few balconies below us - caribe or dolphin level - that had that fake green grass stuff. The fire probably caught there. Then it somehow got into the rooms and burnt up. I'm no expert so I won't comment on more than that. Should the sprinklers have worked better? I have no idea. On a Ocean going ship - I should hope so. I hope they do a full report and investigate thoroughly.

 

L.A.S.T.

[bdjam]

I know that they are likely worried about decreased sales. But look at states like California that have total bans on smoking in restaurants and bars. Sure, the smokers grumbled at first, and now, many years later, it turns out that if smokers want to eat out, they just put up without smoking for a couple of hours. Air traffic is up as well, even with a smoking ban (although you can hardly breath when exiting an airport because of all the smokers congregating just outside the doors!).

I’m not sure how anyone can equate a few hours without a cigarette in a restaurant with a week on a ship.

I have not seen anything official stating what the actual cause of the fire was, yet look at all the speculation

Rob – some Jamaican “authority” indicated to the press that he was told by a crew member that a cigarette was suspected of starting the fire. On the other hand, Cruise News Daily reports that reports of a cigarette starting a fire coming from Princess are false – no one at Princess is ready to say that was the cause. They will wait until the investigation is finished to determine the cause.

It concerns me that people sat in Muster Roll Call for 7 hours. This should have been a much quicker process and there should have been food!

I’m not sure who posted this, but are you kidding me? People were held at muster to keep them safe and there was probably no food because the people who would have been cooking it were busy with their safety duties.

[BBQ Bill]

I appreciated your post Spongerob - our thoughts and prayers are with the passengers, the families of the injured and the crew. To all of my CC friends, I also would like to wait until the investigation is completed before the "policy change" debates begin (as a former smoker, I found Crusin' Chick's comments offensive and felt compelled to reply).

[negc]

I’m not sure who posted this, but are you kidding me? People were held at muster to keep them safe and there was probably no food because the people who would have been cooking it were busy with their safety duties. [/font]

[/font][/font]

Perhaps the poster would recommend a time limit for such musters and if time expired the passengers could return to the areas of the ship where the fire was still being fought, and to think that they were without food for seven whole hours when the cooks could have left their firefighting duties to whip up some snacks for the passengers. Sometimes it is hard to believe that people really mean some of the things they post.:rolleyes:

[DandyCandy]

I'm still waiting for the "It's Princesses Fault" posts that are so popular.

You know the ones; bad food: princesses fault. Loud, obnoxious passengers: princesses fault. Someone looked at me wrong: princesses fault. Tragic fire that burned 120 cabins up: princesses fault. Death from cardiac arrest casued by fire: princesses fault. No cooks to cook me food during this tragic event: princesses fault.

Forget about those poor people too; it's all about my future cruise that better not get cancelled b/c of this fire. That's princesses fault and I am gonna sue if they don't give me a free cruise for 500 of my closest friends and we all get fancy suites and all the attendants have to wait on us and only us. :rolleyes:

 

(NO, this is not how I personally feel, merely pointing out some of the comments made in other threads. I personally feel really bad for everyone involved. Some people lost all their belongings, a family is now one less member. More important things to think about then when Princess is gonna get around to booking people's cancelled cruises or the importance to ban smoking/the people who smoke from cruises.)

[longislandblue]

I wonder if anyone else has consider the idea that maybe the ship is to blame for the fire. Just a thought, that's all. Maybe a little spin factor to buy time to investigate thoughly, without complications from the media. A cruise member spreads the rumor that is was a passenger who was smoking that may have caused the fire. He/she tells it to someone who can spread it to the media. Ok, blame is, for now, shifted to a passenger, Princess is now out of the loop. Ok, this is really just speculation, that's all, nothing more. But could a smoldering butt do all of that damage? More than 100 cabins? Possbily. But what about an electrical fire? Each balcony has lights . Is that at all possbile? Heck I don't know. What I'm getting at is this is not the only possibility, right? There are so many ways this could have started, ask any fireman/woman. I'm am sure they could come up with a few more. The news outlets that I have seen since I have heard of this accident late today, have been telling us that the cruise line can not commit to the real reason of this fire. Truthfully, because they really just don't know yet.

Listen to the video again:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11975460/

They are not making an offical statement yet. They are using words like "apparently" and "suspected".

 

I guess all I'm really trying to get to is that the bickering about smokers should really stop. It's not been proven yet and thats not why we sign on to these boards. We all come here to read and write about our cruises and for our love of cruising. We are all like family here. Our perfect center is cruising, no matter how, why, where or what for. We may not all be of like minds, but one thing is for certain, everyone on this board loves to cruise, right? This thread was created to bring us all together,imform of us of the goings on, on ship, band us together and say our prayers for those who were on this life threatening cruise. And please don't forget to include Mr. Richard Liffidge, 75, of Georgia, who lost his life on this ship. His family will miss him dearly, and they deserve our continued prayers. Their pain must be just awful.

 

So let's just stop the meaness and get back to the fact that we really don't know what caused this fire, but that many many people were effected by this tragic event. If we want to talk about smokers and nonsmokers, than lets go to that thread, there are plenty people who love to hear us vent. In this thread we should offer our sympathies and any help these people need.

 

I appoligize if I have offended anyone in my statement, that was not my intention. Either read it again, without sharpness in your mind, or get over it. My intentions were and still are good.

 

My heart goes out to all those effected by this tragic event. You are all in my prayers.

 

 

Please forgive my misspellings, it's late and my spell check in on the fritz.

[Lady Anna & Sir Troy]

That was not very kind of you.

 

First - I am diabetic.Woken up around 3:00 - 4:00 am and then not given food until noon would cause issues. I didnt suggest they stop and cook for them. Just something to pass out that could be grabbed quickly along with water. Most people would be fine but there's a few who wouldnt.

 

Second (my fault) I thought the musters were being used for roll call check-in. Then people were moved to safety locations - where there wasn't smoke - which may or may not have been at the muster stations. So I meant they could have been quicker with the check-in process, not letting them out to "roam around" in unsafe areas. My mispost or misunderstanding.

 

I'd appreciate an apology for insinuations that I suggest they stop fire fighting to cook them food. That is very insulting. I was merely concurring my sympathies. Some of our friends were on that ship and we are very concerned and worried.

 

L.A.S.T.

[LindaandJeff]

All cruise ships are equipped with smoke, heat and sprinklers in each cabin, as well throught the ship. All cabin doors are fire rated to a certian extent. Fire doors throught the shihp ( you can tell by the damage that it was contained to specific area(s)) I am F.F here in New York, On my Last cruise on Rccl's Explorer I was able to talk with the safety officer. This is such a horrible ordeal, if anybody has any questions reguarding Fire protection on the ship please feel free to contact me via email @ :: BCSFD279@yahoo.com or leave me a message here... Hope everybody is ok and my thoughts and prayers go out to the familes of all the passengers

 

...Ryan...

 

Ryan - Could the suction that happens when you have the balcony door open and then open the door to the room function like a backdraft or something to spread the fire quicker? If the fire did start on a balcony, the fire would spread to other balconies because there are no firedoors outside. As people exited their rooms to get away from the fire the fire could have been drawn inside...right?

[DandyCandy]

That was not very kind of you.

 

First - I am diabetic.Woken up around 3:00 - 4:00 am and then not given food until noon would cause issues. I didnt suggest they stop and cook for them. Just something to pass out that could be grabbed quickly along with water. Most people would be fine but there's a few who wouldnt.

 

Second (my fault) I thought the musters were being used for roll call check-in. Then people were moved to safety locations - where there wasn't smoke - which may or may not have been at the muster stations. So I meant they could have been quicker with the check-in process, not letting them out to "roam around" in unsafe areas. My mispost or misunderstanding.

 

I'd appreciate an apology for insinuations that I suggest they stop fire fighting to cook them food. That is very insulting. I was merely concurring my sympathies. Some of our friends were on that ship and we are very concerned and worried.

 

L.A.S.T.

 

Honey, no need to take offense. Not really responding to your particular post but ok. There are so many threads/posts about this tragedy that I didn't mention any names or referenced particular people, so I don't see how you can "tell" my post was directed at you unless your conscience said something to you. So if you're looking for an apology from me about the cooking comment, don't hold your breath b/c you're not gonna get one. I realize that some people have special needs, but the context in which some these posts are made are not special needs but mere lack of compassion for others.

 

I WILL however, apologize for the fact that you had friends on that ship and they had to experience that tragedy. I sincerely hope that they are safe and comfortable considering that circumstances.

The sad fact is that with all that's going on, some people on these boards still manage to be selfish about "their" cruise and/or future/past cruise experiences.

[ala-kat]

Was it a cigarette? Maybe, maybe not. People have been stupidly flipping them overboard for years... week after week, ship after ship, and although it makes good sense that this is what happened, why haven't more caught on fire?

 

If it was the cause, it concerns me greatly as to why it spread as it did. Was fire safety not a major concern when built and supplied? I'm sure it was, but what went wrong?

 

If it wasn't the cause, then I really would like to know what happened.

 

Unfortunately, unlike a land based fire, evidence may not be around to give the answers. The sea (or gulf or ocean) holds it secrets.

 

Just me thinking through my fingers....

[Lady Anna & Sir Troy]

DandyCandy -

 

That was so not you! Nothing you said was taken offense by me - in fact I didnt even see it until after I posted.

 

It was Negc that offended me. It was taken out of context. I was sympathizing with the passengers not suggesting that Princess was doing anything wrong unless "roll-call" took 7 hours, which was completely a misunderstanding on my part.

 

You owe me no apology, not that I was going to get one anyways. :p

 

No worries. I will just go elsewhere where people check to see what I am trying to say before they blatantly flame me.

[kryos]

From the careless smoking I've observed on my last cruises, I am surprised this hasn't happened more often!

It doesn't happen because the cruise lines are smart enough to use mostly fire-retardant materials in their construction and in the furniture and fixtures used around the ship, as well as in the individual cabins.

 

Do you think cruise lines would be stupid enough to allow smoking if there was any great risk? Do you honesty think that it's "surprising" that this hasn't happened before? It shouldn't be surprising ... it hasn't happened because of good engineering and shipbuilding.

 

I love how so many people are jumping on the ban smoking bandwagon without even knowing for sure that smoking caused this fire. Believe me, no fire this serious could have been caused by one carelessly discarded cigarette. No way in an environment of high tech fire detection/suppression systems. There's something much bigger at play here. If I had to "hazard" a guess, I'd say the fire was either electrical in origin or else it was deliberately set. It'll be interesting to find out which. But it won't be smoking, that's for sure.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[honestguy]

I truly believe the fire was an intense fire because it was outside and it was driven by the wind. While working on board a cruise ship, and employee left a burning cigarette in his cabin, and it fell into the garbage can, and caught fire. It was contained within minutes, and damage was limited to his cabin. I know of other fires in crew cabins, as well and damage wasnt that bad. I think the problem with this, will be wind driven flames, and the fact it was probably very hard to access the fire being it was on the balconies. No sprinklers and fire screen doors didnt help either.

[English Tim]

Please all chill folks.

 

Specualtion is natural but rarely helps.

 

Many folk are quite naturally distraught after yesterdays events and we should all show compassion, rather than fighting.

 

Our thoughts and prayers should go out to all those affected by this tragedy.

[Coral]

A major fire broke out at 3 am last night. Our balcony was completely engulfed in flames, it was a wall of fire. Steve and I have lost everything but the clothes on our back. 120 cabins are completely destroyed. We sat in our muster stations for 7 hours with no air and no food. It took them 4 hours to finish roll call. I don'tthink I've ever been so terrified. We're in Jamaica and have no idea what is going to happen. Thankfully all were accounted for though there were injuries and some heart attacks.

 

Carolyn

 

Carolyn - just wanted to thank you for posting. I sure hope you and your family are all right and have a safe trip home. Thank you for reporting of your account. Please let us know when you are home and can tell us more.

 

Theresa