Fire Investigators Urge Cruise Safety Measures

MIAMI — A federal agency looking into a 1998 fire aboard a Carnival cruise ship recommended that cruise lines install sprinkler systems on mooring decks and make it easier for people to call for help.

The National Transportation Safety Board issued its recommendations earlier this month in a preliminary report on the fire aboard the Ecstasy in which 23 people were injured while the ship was 11/2 miles off Florida. It said the blaze was ignited by a spark from a welding machine and moved through the ventilation system to a deck where mooring lines caught fire.

Carnival spokesman Tim Gallagher said the cruise line had already implemented several NTSB recommendations and was evaluating others. He said cabins were already outfitted with phones and that the company was considering additional methods of calling for help during fires.