Fire Breaks Out on Tug on the Delaware River
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On Tuesday morning, a fire broke out aboard a tug on the Delaware River, prompting a rapid response from the Coast Guard and from good Samaritans.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At about 0930 hours, Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay received a Channel 16 distress call from the crew of the tugboat, which was in transit with a two-barge tow.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At a position between Delaware City and Old New Castle, the vessel\u00a0caught fire, and the crew asked for assistance. Initial reports indicated that the fire was in the engine room; that hatches had been secured; and that the tug had lost steering.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The crew abandoned ship, according to local media, and a good Samaritan vessel retrieved all\u00a0four crewmembers safely. Boat crews from Station Philadelphia and a helicopter aircrew out of Air Station Atlantic City responded to the scene, along with assets from local partner agencies, including the Wilmington Fire Department’s fireboat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The fire has been put out, and the tug has been taken in tow, according to the Coast Guard.\u00a0The cause of the blaze is under investigation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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