On occasion, shipboard fires create more than just a nasty environment for the passengers. For Richard Liffridge, a 2006 fire aboard the Star Princess cruise ship operated by Princess Cruises, a Carnival subsidiary, proved deadly. Liffridge had just turned 72, and he was celebrating by cruising with his wife and friends when a fire broke out two levels below their stateroom at around 3 a.m. on March 23. Billowing black smoke engulfed the 20-year Air Force veteran as he tried to guide his wife to safety. With Victoria clinging to his T-shirt, he began groping his way through a hallway. At one point the ship shifted, and Victoria lost her grip as she was thrown against the opposite wall. She called out to him, but couldn’t find him in the smoke. Her lasting memory is of him saying, “Vicky, don’t let me die.” Liffridge ultimately died from smoke inhalation. The family sued for wrongful death, but the case was settled for funeral expenses. According to a Reuters report, the family’s attorney said that was all they were entitled to under U.S. law.