On Tuesday morning, an unmanned barge carrying a large amount of scrap metal caught fire in the waters of Delaware Bay. The U.S. Coast Guard, together with fire departments from Philadelphia and Wilmington, launched a firefighting operation after receiving an alarm at 8:00 AM. At the time of the incident, the vessel was under tow, but rescuers managed to avoid casualties and injuries among the tugboat crew. This was reported by AP, writes UNN.
Details
A helicopter and several fireboats were involved in fighting the fire, dousing piles of burning metal with water cannons for several hours.
Due to the fire, the barge had to be moved to shallow water closer to the New Jersey coast to facilitate access for rescue services.
Despite intense smoke and prolonged burning, the movement of civilian vessels in the mouth of the Delaware River remains stable and has not experienced significant restrictions.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. Our units are working to localize the fire to prevent further spread of the flames to neighboring areas of the bay.
Environmental monitoring and safety control
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has taken control of the situation regarding potential air and water pollution as a result of the incident.
Specialists are taking measurements of environmental indicators to assess the impact of metal combustion products on the bay's resources. Although the Delaware State Emergency Management Agency initially stated that it was conducting internal monitoring, it was later clarified that the main coordination of environmental oversight is carried out by the services of the neighboring state in cooperation with the Coast Guard.