Two barges carrying crushed vehicles for scrap caught fire Sunday morning near Mobile, Ala., according to the Coast Guard and local authorities.
There were no reported injuries or damage to other vessels during the incident, which started just before 10 a.m. near mile marker 3 on the Mobile River, close to the Cochrane-Africatown Bridge.
The fire started on one barge carrying old cars and spread to another. Separated from their tow and aground, the barges could only be approached from the water and the Mobile County Fire Department dispatched boat teams to fight the blaze.
Smoke billows from barges carrying junked cars on the Mobile River May 6, 2018. Mobile Fire-Rescue photo.
The Coast Guard Dauphin Island station dispatched a 45’ response boat-medium to the scene, and the crew escorted vessel traffic through the area. Alabama state troopers also responded.
No crewmembers were on board the barges when the fire broke out and the cause was under investigation, according to the Coast Guard and Mobile Fire-Rescue officials.
