Investigators will start looking for clues Wednesday as they try to figure out what sparked a raging barge fire in South Seattle.
Firefighters battled the huge blaze on the Duwamish River after it broke out about 8:15 p.m. Tuesday in the 600 block of South Myrtle Street, just off East Marginal Way South. Flames were seen shooting several stories into the air. A thick plume of black smoke could also be seen billowing over the area from as far away Kirkland and Point Defiance in Tacoma.
The barge appeared to be loaded with crushed cars about three stories high, according to Seattle Fire. People nearby also reported hearing explosions.
"It was really loud, gunshot like and it was like pounding underneath in the building below us," said Luna Salinas who saw the flames shooting into the sky. "It was just a sound that was kind of spooky when it first happened and everyone looked around like they were really scared."