Dramatic footage captured a fireworks boat bursting into flames in a coastal Massachusetts town on Wednesday, the day before the city’s annual Fourth of July fireworks display was scheduled to take place.
And now authorities have been forced to cancel the show.
A barge in the north shore town of Marblehead caught fire in the middle of the night, the Marblehead Fireworks and Harbor Lights said in a social media post early Thursday.
People who shared the video Boston 25 News It depicts a ship sailing past a waterfront fire and a thick column of smoke.
Local officials said the barge, which was anchored in the waters off Marblehead Harbor, was scheduled to be used in a fireworks display at 9:15 p.m. on Thursday.
“The fire chief will not allow our vendors to set off fireworks until we know how the barge caught fire,” Marblehead Fireworks and Harbor Illuminations said in a post.
The Marblehead Fire Department said firefighters responded along with the Marblehead Port Master.
The Marblehead Fire Department, Beverly Fire Department, the U.S. Coast Guard and Massachusetts Environmental Police were called to the scene.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
