by LEONARD GREENE
Fire broke out under a West Side pier yesterday, startling passengers aboard a cruise ship who were preparing to disembark, officials said.
The Norwegian Dawn cruise ship was docked along Manhattan's West Side when a fire erupted beneath Pier 88 on West 48th Street and 12th Avenue shortly after 9 a.m.
While some of the 2,300 passengers hurried off the ship, others stayed aboard until the drama was over.
The threat ended when divers swam under the pier and extinguished the fire.
Fire officials said the cause was probably electrical insulation used to keep water pipes warm in the winter.
There were no injuries.
The spectacle of emergency trucks tied up traffic along the West Side Highway.
The ship was returning from a seven-day trip to Canada and New England.
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