Scrap fire erupts on barge in Delaware Bay polluting air

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The Coast Guard, along with firefighters from Wilmington and Philadelphia are responding to a massive blaze on a barge in the Delaware Bay. Live aerial footage shows what looks like giant piles of trash burning and sending black smoke billowing into the atmosphere. The skies as far north as Philadelphia are hazy and smell of smoke.

The barge has been towed from the open waters of the Bay to Bombay anchorage, according to Coast Guard Petty Officer First Class Matthew West. “There’s a chance it will have to be moved again,” he said.

West said the Coast Guard was notified at 7:20 a.m. of the incident, and it’s hard to predict when the fire will be contained.

Multiple agencies are responding to the fire, including Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, along with the state’s Natural Resources Police Fish and Wildlife.

This is a developing story and will be updated.