A fire that broke out aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford last week took more than 30 hours to extinguish, leaving hundreds of US sailors without sleeping quarters and exposing a fresh strain on one of the Navy’s most heavily deployed warships, NYT reported.

According to US military officials and reports from crew members, the blaze began in the ship’s main laundry facility, reportedly in the vent of a dryer, before spreading through ventilation ducts into several other parts of the vessel.

The fire was eventually brought under control after sailors battled flames for over a day across multiple compartments.

The incident displaced more than 600 sailors and crew members who lost access to their bunks due to fire or smoke damage. Many have since been sleeping on floors, tables, and other makeshift areas throughout the ship while damage is assessed and living spaces are restored.

The carrier, which hosts a crew of roughly 4,500 sailors and aviators, is currently in the tenth month of what has become an unusually long deployment. Normally, US aircraft carriers are deployed for around six to seven months, but operational demands have extended the Ford’s mission significantly.

Despite the intensity of the blaze, the US military’s Central Command said the ship’s propulsion systems were not damaged and the carrier remains fully operational.

Two sailors were treated for non-life-threatening injuries, while several others reportedly suffered smoke inhalation during the firefighting effort.

The Ford’s extended deployment has taken the ship across multiple theaters. Originally operating in the Mediterranean, the carrier was redirected to the Caribbean as part of a US pressure campaign against Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro before later being sent back toward the Middle East amid escalating regional tensions.

Naval experts say such prolonged deployments can take a toll on both ships and crews. Maintenance schedules are tightly coordinated across the fleet, and extending one carrier’s deployment can delay repairs and strain equipment that was designed for shorter missions.

The fire is the latest in a series of technical and logistical issues affecting the Ford, the US Navy’s newest and most advanced aircraft carrier. Reports in recent months have highlighted maintenance problems, including plumbing issues with onboard systems that support hundreds of toilets.

For now, the ship continues flight operations and remains part of the US Navy’s forward military presence.

However, officials say another carrier strike group may soon relieve the Ford as it approaches what could become one of the longest post-Vietnam deployments for an American aircraft carrier.