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Possible Cargo Ship Fire Off Key Largo

MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- A cargo ship off the Coast of South Florida has requested assistance from the Coast Guard, after reporting a fire below deck in one of their cargo holds.

Coast Guard officials late Saturday would only confirm reports of "smoke coming out of a cargo ship," and said they were still attempting to determine what exactly was taking place aboard the Leda Trader, a Liberian flagged vessel that operates out of Port Everglades.

The ship's current location was approximately ten miles off of Key Largo.

A source monitoring the incident told CBS4's Jim DeFede the ship's 16-member crew reported the fire suppression equipment was activated and they had sealed off the cargo hold but heat sensors suggested the fire was still active. The ship had requested fire crews for assistance. There were no reports of injuries.

The ship is reportedly carrying cars and flammable liquids, according to the source. The Coast Guard said they could not confirm what was onboard.

The Leda Trader is a 656-foot-long container ship built in 2000 that has a gross weight of 33,917 tons.

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