Blaze Breaks Out on Ship Off N.Y. Coast

NEW YORK (AP) -- Fire department boats battled a blaze that broke out Monday aboard a 550-foot cargo ship off Staten Island.

A police helicopter evacuated one burned crew member to a New York City hospital. The crewman's condition was not immediately disclosed.

The fire apparently began about 2 p.m. in the engine room of the tanker, which was carrying cocoa beans, officials said. The fire was extinguished briefly, then began again, said Coast Guard Lt. Chris Zorman.

The ship did not initially appear to have been badly damaged and was expected to continue on the way into New York Harbor, he said.