NEW CASTLE, Del. — A massive fire broke out Tuesday morning on a barge carrying huge piles of scrap metal on the Delaware Bay near New Castle.<\/p>\n
The U.S. Coast Guard responded after 8 a.m. to reports of the fire and dispatched a helicopter and two boats, Petty Officer First Class Matthew West said.<\/p>\n
Local fire departments, including those from Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware, also responded.<\/p>\n
A tugboat was moving the unmanned barge at the time of the fire, West said, adding there were no injuries.<\/p>\n
The Delaware Bay is an estuary of the Delaware River between Delaware and New Jersey.<\/p>\n
Ship traffic also was not impacted by the fire that was still burning several hours later, he said.<\/p>\n
The barge appeared to be standing still as boats on both sides of it fired water cannons into the piles of burning metal.<\/p>\n
Smoke billowed from several fires aboard the boat, and its location was shifting to the New Jersey side of the bay.<\/p>\n
West said the cause of the fire remained under investigation.<\/p>\n
In a statement, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control said the barge was being moved to shallower water and that it was on the scene performing air monitoring.
<\/p>\n
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