Navy says engine fire onboard HMCS Halifax 'minor'

A'minor fire' broke out in a gas-turbine engine onboard HMCS Halifax on Friday morning, says the Royal Canadian Navy.

The frigate was off the coast of Norway at the time.

The fire was discovered by crew around 5:30 a.m. and extinguished quickly, said Department of National Defence spokesperson Dan Le Bouthillier.

There have been other fires onboard naval ships in the past few years.

"A fire at sea is never a good thing, but it seems like the vast majority of these incidents have been pretty minor," said Le Bouthillier. "And if you look at this incident as well, so far their assessment is that she should be continuing on with her deployment."

There were no injuries, Le Bouthillier said.

The crew is investigatingthe cause of the fire and will determine if the engine is serviceable.

"Sailors of the RCN are highly trained and exercised to deal with a variety of damage-control scenarios," Le Bouthillier said. "It is a key component of crew competencies when operating a warship to ensure it is capable of floating and moving in order to continue the fight."

HMCS Halifax is participating in a NATO exercise in the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea until Nov.7.

Canada has sent approximately 2,000 personnel to join 31 partner countries in the training exercise.