Cargo barge catches fire on Mobile River

The fire couldn't be reached by land, so crews had to approach it from boats in the river. Firefighters said the vessel that caught fire is a commercial cargo barge carrying old cars. Officials said the fire then spread to a second barge.

Firefighters said the fire started sometime between 10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Crews were able to knock down the flames by 11:30 a.m., but thick smoke continued to billow from the barge past noon.

The smoke affected visibility for drivers on the Cochrane-Africatown Bridge, but the bridge remained open.

The cause of the fire is not yet known. Crews from the U.S. Coast Guard and the Alabama Department of Law Enforcement also responded to the fire.

No injuries have been reported.