Massive Barge Fire Sends Dense Smoke Over Parts of South Jersey

As the sun set on Tuesday, the U.S. Coast Guard and firefighters continued to continue fighting a barge fire in the Delaware Bay.

No injuries have been reported, and officials said the unmanned barge, which is carrying salvage metal, was moved to shallow water so it can be secured, allowing on-scene responders to extinguish the fire and complete salvage operations.

Tuesday evening, the barge was towed to the Maurice River Cove, about two miles from the New Jersey coast, to remove the threat to the main ship channel.

That's when smoke from the burning barge began to make its way on shore in parts of Cape May and Cumberland counties.

Barge Fire Began Tuesday Morning

Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay was first notified of the fire at 8:20 am Tuesday when a tubboat called to say that a barge they were towing was on fire.

Teams from Coast Guard Station Philadelphia, Coast Guard Station Cape May, and Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City were deployed to assist.

The incident follows another major barge fire in the Delaware Bay in 2022, when a barge carrying scrap household appliances burned for approximately 26 hours in what officials described as the largest firefighting operation in Delaware state history.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection also said it was working closely with the Coast Guard and the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management in responding to the fire.

It said that it was monitoring “for potential impacts to air quality as well as water quality and ecological resources of the Delaware Bay.” It had no further details.

On Tuesday evening, the Downe Township Fire & Rescue issued an advisory on Facebook about the smoke over parts of Cumberland and Cape May County from the burning barge.

PUBLIC NOTICE

There is a barge on fire in the bay that is causing smoke in our area. The smoke may be dense at times. The fire originated outside our district, but the authorities involved are moving it through the area while working to get the fire extinguished.

@6abcactionnewsFirefighters are battling a massive blaze that erupted on a barge on the Delaware River. The fire was first reported around 10 a.m. Tuesday in New Castle, Delaware.♬ original sound - 6abc Action News