On December 30, 2024, about 1609, the articulated tug and barge Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder, with a crew of 16, was anchored in Lake Erie, near Cleveland, Ohio, when a fire broke out in the generator space of the barge Pathfinder. The crew sealed the space and released the vessel’s fixed gas fire extinguishing system, putting out the fire. There were no injuries, and no pollution was reported. Damages were estimated at $2.6 million.
We determined that the probable cause of the diesel generator engine failure and resulting fire aboard the self-unloading barge Pathfinder was a loss of lube oil to one of the engine’s connecting rods, possibly due to its electrical generator experiencing a sudden block load beyond its design capability resulting from an electrical short in the generator.
