Vacuum Cleaner Causes $400 Million In Submarine Damages

U.S Naval officials have announced today the cause of a fire that broke out aboard the USS Miami, a nuclear submarine, on May 23, 2012. A vacuum cleaner is said to have sucked up a “heat source” causing the fire which injured seven people and incurred damages worth $400 million. The unidentified “heat source” ignited the debris in the vacuum, which is used for cleaning abroad the sub, had been turned off when fire broke out. "Specific details and subsequent damage assessment are still being evaluated as part of on-going investigations and will be released at a later date," shipyard officials said. According to the official report, the fire forced its way into the forward compartment of the submarine which includes crew living, command and control spaces and torpedo room. At the time of the fire, the nuclear propulsion plant was not operational and thus unaffected by the fire. Although there were no torpedoes or other weapon on-board the submarine, nuclear propulsion spaces were isolated from the forward compartment fire early and spaces remained habitable, manned throughout the entire event. Following the incident, all public shipyards have been directed to empty industrial style shop vacuum cleaners each shift or remove them from the ship.