The deadly fire aboard a vehicle transport ship docked in Port Newark is finally contained. Heavy smoke that smelled like burning rubber and melting plastic wafted through the nearby area from the massive fire aboard the cargo ship, which held about 1,200 cars and trucks.
The U.S. Coast Guard said that no air quality concerns were caused by the blaze, and no oil or chemical spills had been detected in the surrounding water. The ship is stable, and the Port Newark channel has fully reopened. The port largely continued to operate as normal during the fire response, according to the Port Authority.
Two Newark firefighters — Wayne Brooks Jr. and Augusto Acabou — were killed in the initial response to the blaze, which was first reported around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. Their funerals are scheduled for later this week, and a GoFundMe fundraiser organized by the Newark Firefighters Union to benefit the Brooks and Acabou families has raised more than $100,000 as of Monday morning.
