Recycling company that was sued by NJ operates barge that caught fire

A recycling company that was sued earlier this year by New Jersey is responsible for operating the barge that recently caught fire on the Delaware River, NBC10 confirmed.

On Tuesday, March 10, a barge that was carrying scrap metal caught fire in the Delaware Bay off the coast of Reedy Island in New Castle County, Delaware. The fire sent large plumes of smoke into the air and continued burning into Wednesday.

Crews moved the barge to a shallow cove about two miles off the New Jersey side of the river to help the first responders bring the flames under control.

Several fire companies as well as Delaware State Police, the New Castle County Office of Emergency Management, Kent County Department of Public Safety, the Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) and the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay responded to the scene.

“Sadly, it’s a sight we’ve seen before,” New Jersey Assemblyman Bill Moen (D – 5^th District) told NBC10 while looking at images of the fire. “I think my first reaction is just continued frustration.”

The barge was eventually taken to the EMR facility in Camden, New Jersey. EMR is a scrap metal recycling company responsible for operating the barge, officials said. The company was sued back in January 2026 by the state of New Jersey which accused EMR of maintaining “hazardous conditions at its facilities” that “create a high risk of fires.”

According to state officials, at least 12 major fires have occurred in scrap metal piles at EMR facilities in Camden’s Waterfront South neighborhood in the past five years. One of the biggest fires started at the EMR facility on the 1400 block of South Front Street back on Feb. 21, 2025. The fire – which started from a two-story pile of scrap material that was supposed to be torn apart into smaller pieces – burned for over 12 hours and forced residents to evacuate and stay out of the area for weeks.

Assemblyman Moen told NBC10 he hopes Tuesday’s barge fire will inspire lawmakers across the Philadelphia region to review scrap metal laws. Moen is currently working on a bill package in Trenton that would strengthen requirements, penalties and safety measures for scrap metal businesses.

NBC10 reached out to EMR for a response to Tuesday’s barge fire. We have not yet heard back. In January, an EMR spokesperson sent a statement in response to the lawsuit.

“In August, after months of working cooperatively, the City of Camden and EMR entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to provide a comprehensive framework for fire suppression at our Camden shredder at a cost of $6.7 million,” the spokesperson wrote. “It appears the current Attorney General is not aware of the MOU and EMR’s fire suppression investments. We look forward to working with the State of New Jersey to address the scourge of lithium ion battery fires plaguing recycling facilities throughout the country. More than 500 people work for EMR in Camden including 150 Camden residents. The safety of our employees and the Camden community residents is our number one priority.”

Investigators have not yet determined the cause of Tuesday’s barge fire.