More than 600 service members and crew members aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford are without a bed after a fire aboard the ship Thursday, The New York Times reported.
The fire took upwards of 30 hours to douse, according to the publication, and it damaged sailors’ sleeping arrangements so badly that they’re having to sleep on floors and tables.
The Navy announced Thursday that the world’s largest aircraft carrier experienced a non-combat fire that originated in the main laundry room, but the service did not provide further information as to the source of the fire.
“There is no damage to the ship’s propulsion plant, and the aircraft carrier remains fully operational,” read a post by the Navy on X.
The Ford is currently stationed in the Red Sea in support of Operation Epic Fury.
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The service said that more information would be made available when it arrived.
Two sailors sustained non-life-threatening injuries and received medical treatment, returning to duty that day, a spokesperson for the U.S. 5th Fleet told Military Times in an emailed statement.
But a third sailor was flown off the ship to receive medical treatment, the spokesperson confirmed. That sailor is currently in stable condition.
The fire in the laundry room has also prohibited many service members from tending to their dirty clothes, the report stated.
The carrier and its strike group, which includes nearly 4,500 sailors, began its most recent deployment on June 24, 2025, and is approaching a potentially record-setting time away from home.
Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. James Kilby recently told lawmakers that he anticipated the carrier would reach an 11-month extended deployment mark, inching it closer toward becoming the longest at-sea U.S. Navy deployment ever. The current record is held by the USS Midway, which was deployed at sea for 332 days during the Vietnam War.
Riley Ceder is a reporter at Military Times, where he covers breaking news, criminal justice, investigations, and cyber. He previously worked as an investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he contributed to the Abused by the Badge investigation.
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