One Dead, One Missing After Barge fire 

(Port Aransas, TX)  —  One person is dead and another still missing following a fire on a barge near Port Aransas.

Flames broke out this morning on the barge which was carrying 140-thousand barrels of crude oil. Six people on the barge were able to escape.  The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

KHOU news reported that “More than 140,000 barrels of crude were on the barge at the time, along with eight crew members. As of 11:30 a.m. Friday, firefighters from the Corpus Christi Fire Department were still fighting the blaze by boat.Coast Guard officials said they received a mayday from the captain of the tug vessel Buster Brouchard around 4:35 a.m. saying that the vessel they were tugging, barge B255, was on fire and two crew members had gone missing.”