Scrap Metal Barge Fire in Delaware Bay Contained After Multi-Agency Response

A burning scrap metal barge owned by Camden-based EMR Recycling spent nearly 24 hours ablaze in the Delaware Bay before crews extinguished the fire and towed the vessel back to EMR's Camden facility, where it was moored on Thursday, March 12, Coast Guard officials said.

Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay received the first call at approximately 8:20 a.m. on March 10 from the 114-foot Donjon Marine tug Douglas J, whose crew reported that the unmanned barge they were towing had caught fire. The Coast Guard dispatched a helicopter and two response boats; fire departments from Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware, also responded. Boats positioned on both sides of the barge fired water cannons into towering piles of burning scrap metal as black smoke billowed across the bay and haze spread as far north as Philadelphia.

The barge was first moved to the Bombay anchorage before authorities towed it to approximately two miles off Maurice River Cove, near the Cumberland and Cape May County line, to remove the threat from the main ship channel. "The barge is currently being towed to approximately 2 miles off Maurice River Cove, N.J., to remove the threat from the main ship channel, where firefighting efforts will continue," the Coast Guard said in an update. Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay also established a safety zone and issued a Broadcast Notice to Mariners. Ship traffic in the bay was not disrupted.

No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the U.S. Coast Guard, with Petty Officer First Class Matthew West serving as spokesman throughout the response.

The cargo originated in Bayonne, New Jersey, and the barge had been carrying salvage metal bound for EMR's scrap yard along the Delaware River waterfront in Camden. After the fire was extinguished, plans were carried out to tow the vessel north to EMR Recycling, where it was moored by Thursday.

On environmental monitoring, the picture was muddled. The Delaware Emergency Management Agency initially stated that the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control was conducting air quality monitoring; DNREC later said it was not doing any monitoring. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection said it was working closely with the Coast Guard and the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management, and was monitoring "for potential impacts to air quality as well as water quality and ecological resources of the Delaware Bay."

The Delaware Bay fire is the latest in a pattern of incidents tied to EMR. The New Jersey Attorney General's Office sued the company in January over violations tied to 12 hazardous scrap yard fires at its facilities over the past five years. A separate blaze at EMR's Waterfront South facility in 2025 resulted in a $6.7 million settlement with the city of Camden, requiring the company to build an updated fire suppression system and reimburse the city for firefighting costs and broader neighborhood impacts. EMR officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the March 10 barge fire. In January, EMR CEO Joseph Balzano said in a statement, "We look forward to working with the State of New Jersey to addressing the scourge of lithium ion battery fires plaguing recycling facilities throughout the country."

The National Transportation Safety Board issued an advisory in 2023 warning that lithium-ion batteries mixed into scrap cargo could pose significant fire risks during transport, a concern that has materialized in multiple incidents domestically and internationally in recent years. Whether batteries played a role in the March 10 fire has not been confirmed, and the Coast Guard's investigation is ongoing.