By Will Kane
The San Francisco Chronicle
SAN FRANCISCO — A pump emitting sparks started a fire Wednesday on the Navy ship Henry J. Kaiser while it was in dry dock at San Francisco’s Pier 70, authorities said.
Fire crews and the U.S. Coast Guard were called to Pier 70 on the central waterfront a little before 10 a.m. after workers said smoke was pouring out of an empty fuel tank.
The ship, a fleet replenishment oiler, is used to supply diesel and jet fuel to other Navy ships. Firefighters who boarded it found rags that they presume were ignited by a nearby pump, said Mindy Talmadge, a Fire Department spokeswoman.
The fire was extinguished around 11:15 a.m.
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