After burning for 26 hours, the barge fire in the Delaware Bay has been extinguished, Bowers Fire Company Chief Aaron Warren said.
The announcement came Tuesday afternoon, one hour after Gov. John Carney announced an indefinite state of emergency for Kent County that he then ended late Wednesday afternoon.
Thirty organizations and fire companies were involved in the effort to put out the fire, Warren said, including the U.S. Coast Guard and the New York City Fire Department. Warren said that, to his knowledge, it was the largest Delaware firefighting operation.
It will soon be transferred to the command of New Jersey as the barge leaves Delaware waters.
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“The volunteers in the state of Delaware have been outstanding assets throughout the entire thing,” Warren said. “I can’t thank anyone enough for that.”
The fire was extinguished early on Tuesday at 4 a.m., Warren said. It is unclear why the announcement of this extinguishment was delayed almost 12 hours.
Like Warren’s announcement, Carney’s signing of a state of emergency order for Kent County did not come until after the fire was put out. Spokesperson Emily Hershman said that the governor actually “gave verbal approval” on Monday for the state of emergency, but “it was necessary to formally document the decision,” as he did the following day.
Hershman said the request for the state of emergency came from the Delaware Emergency Management Agency, which was contacted by Kent County for assistance in putting the barge fire out.
In his statement shortly before 3 p.m. Tuesday, Carney said the state of emergency would support the first responders – led primarily by the Bowers Fire Company and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control – who were “actively fighting” the fire.
It would also help these responders to “assess the possible impact on the environment, the bay, and wildlife,” Carney said in a statement.
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When he announced its termination Wednesday, he thanked the first responders for jumping in and ensuring that the fire was handled swiftly.
The fire erupted Monday morning nine miles south of Port Mahon on the Delaware Bay, according to the Coast Guard. DNREC said the ship was carrying disused household items and scrap metal.
As of Tuesday afternoon, a DNREC spokesperson said they have “observed no significant debris from the fire and no impacts to wildlife.”
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Send story tips or ideas to Hannah Edelman at hedelman@delawareonline.com. For more reporting, follow them on Twitter at @h_edelman.
