The following is text of a news release from the U.S. Coast Guard:
(NEW ORLEANS) — The Coast Guard responded to a sinking barge near the Huey P. Long Bridge in New Orleans on Sunday.
Watch standers at Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a report that a barge moored at a fleeting area was on fire at mile marker 105 on the Mississippi River. Fireboats General Roy S. Kelly and Irvin S. Cooper responded to the fire.
As water accumulated during the firefighting efforts, the barge, loaded with scrap cars, began to sink. Responders from Sector New Orleans were on scene to remove water from the boat and evaluate the potential for pollution.
There have been no reported injuries.
