It only took days for a fire to hinder the US Navy's Pacific fleet for years to come

Hong Kong (CNN)A massive blaze aboard a billion-dollar US Navy warship has been extinguished after raging for four days -- but its effect might be felt across America's Pacific Fleet for years. Navy officials said the fire aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard, an amphibious assault ship undergoing maintenance and upgrades at a port in San Diego, was put out last Thursday. Reaching temperatures up to 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit (about 650 degrees Celsius), it melted aluminum and incinerated wiring, plastics and combustibles like drywall, bedding and office supplies, while filling the 850-foot (260-meter) vessel with thick smoke. The true extent of the damage, however, remains unknown. Engineers will...