Massive response to three-alarm ship fire on Seattle waterfront

More than 100 firefighters converged on Seattle's Interbay neighborhood Sunday morning in a massive response to a three-alarm commercial ship fire.

Crews were called out at 2 a.m. to respond to a fire aboard the 100-foot fishing vessel Arctic Dawn, moored just south of the Ballard Bridge in the Lake Washington Ship Canal.

When firefighters arrived, they found heavy smoke and flames pouring from the vessel. The firefight eventually escalated to three alarms.

"Any ship fire is a challenge," said Dana Vander Houwen of the Seattle Fire Department. "The biggest challenge right off the bat is just access to a vessel that is far out here and difficult to get onto."

Crews fought the blaze from the pier and also from a fire boat and a police boat, then made their way aboard the vessel.

Crews eventually got the fire on the Arctic Dawn under control, and kept it from spreading to another nearby fishing vessel, the Kodiak.

The Arctic Dawn previously was a crabbing vessel and was featured in some early episodes of the TV series "Deadliest Catch" on the Discovery Channel. It now is used for salmon fishing.

No injuries were reported during the blaze, and a search found no one in the sections of the vessel that burned.

"At least everybody got off safely," Vander Houwen said.

She said most of the fire was confined to the superstructure of the ship, above the water line.

Investigators are trying to find out what sparked the fire in the first place.