Fire crews respond to scrap metal fire on barge near Northeast Tacoma
A scrap metal fire on a barge created a plume of smoke Monday morning that rose over homes in Northeast Tacoma. The Tacoma Fire Department’s fire boat, Defiance, was deployed to battle the flames.
Fire crews said the blaze was reported at about 10 a.m. on a ship near the 6300 block of Marine View Drive. Assistant Fire Chief Chris Johnson said no one was on the barge, which had traveled to Tacoma from Vancouver, British Columbia. The barge was anchored while waiting to offload scrap cars to the Port of Tacoma.
Johnson said a tugboat from Foss Maritime Co. was the first on scene to begin dousing the fire with water. The blaze was contained to the ship, and it was under control by 11:15 a.m., according to a tweet from TFD. The barge will be towed to the port and offloaded to confirm the fire is out, Johnson said.
The fire department’s boat, Defiance, is one of two rapid response boats it operates. According to the city’s website, it’s a 50-foot MetalCraft aluminum fire boat outfitted with twin pumps that can spray 3,000 gallons of water per minute.
The U.S. Coast Guard was also on the scene to inspect the barge. The cause of the fire is not yet known, but Johnson said fire crews suspect it was accidental.
This story was originally published February 14, 2022 at 11:09 AM.
