HELENA-WEST HELENA — A towboat fire has prompted the U.S. Coast Guard to close a 10-mile stretch of the Mississippi River between northeastern Arkansas and northwestern Mississippi.
A Coast Guard statement said the fire was reported about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday aboard the uninspected towing vessel Jacob Kyle Rusthoven near Helena-West Helena. The vessel was pushed to the Arkansas-side riverbank, where firefighting efforts continued.
The Coast Guard reported 13,300 gallons of fuel were aboard the vessel, but no pollution had been reported. Its crew members also were reported safe.
The Coast Guard reopened the river shortly before 6 p.m. Wednesday while efforts to extinguish the fire continued.