Crews extinguish barge fire on the Sound

SOUTH MISSISSIPPI (WLOX) - The fire aboard a barge in the Mississippi Sound is out and none of the hazardous chemicals aboard were released.

"Luckily we were able to stop it before it became an environmental disaster in the Mississippi Sound," said Gulfport Fire Chief Michael Beyerstedt.

According to the Coast Guard, a barge carrying 2,500 pounds of anhydrous ammonia and 800 gallons of diesel fuel caught fire around 1:20 p.m. Thursday afternoon. The four-person crew of tug vessel Kathryn T. Devall was unable to extinguish the fire and released the barge from the tug.

No injuries were reported.

The barge is currently drifting east, and is approximately 4 1/2 miles south of Pass Christian. A 2 1/2 mile safety zone has been set up around the vessel.

The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and Department of Environmental Quality also responded to the fire.

The shipping company is sending a cleanup crew from Galveston, Tx. to handle the removal of the vessels.

Copyright 2017 WLOX. All rights reserved.