Delaware
Maryland, Delaware and Virginia Beaches Forced to Close Due to Medical Waste Washing Ashore
Assateague State Park, along with other beaches along the Maryland coast, is experiencing a significant amount of medical waste washing onshore. Access to the ocean will be restricted at this time. No swimming, wading, surfing, or any activities in the ocean are permitted. Visitors to the beach should wear shoes and use an abundance of caution.
UPDATED CLOSURES:
The Chincoteague Public Beach in the Virginia unit has been added to the Closure List. All Ocean Facing Beaches at Assateague Island National Seashore are now closed to swimming or wading due to medical waste coming ashore.
A rundown of current closures:
- North end (all of the island North of Assateague State Park) is closed to all visitor access
- Assateague Island State Park Beach is closed to swimming and wading
- All Oceanside Beaches in Assateague Island National Park are closed to swimming and wading. (This is includes North Beach, Oceanside Camping Beach, South Beach, the beach on the Oversand Vehicle Area and the Chincoteague Beach.
- All Campgrounds, trails, boardwalks, visitor centers, etc. remain open. Bayside remains open for kayaks, canoes and other water activities (at least for now).
Answers to some FAQs:
- 1) The debris is trash with a large component of medical waste, which includes syringes and needles.
- We believe it started to come ashore this morning, so those who were in the water on earlier days should have nothing to worry about.
- We currently have no idea where it came from and will not be speculating about a source. Health authorities will be investigating.
- We do not know how long the closures will be in effect. We do not know how much more material is out there, when it will stop coming ashore, and how long it will take for cleanup.
- For those offering to help, Thank You-at this point we do not know what help would be necessary, but will keep the public advised.
- This is part of a larger area problem-with closure from Fenwick Island to Chincoteague.
Thank you for your patience-Updates will continue as things change or we get more information.
The U.S. Coast Guard and multiple partner agencies are responding to a barge fire in Delaware Bay on Tuesday after a tug reported that the vessel it was towing had caught fire.
According to the Coast Guard, watchstanders at Sector Delaware Bay received a call at approximately 8:20 a.m. from the tug Douglas J, reporting that the barge under tow was on fire. The barge was reportedly carrying scrap metal.
Authorities are towing the burning barge to a position about two miles off Maurice River Cove, New Jersey, in an effort to move the incident away from the main shipping channel while firefighting operations continue.
The Coast Guard has established a safety zone and issued a Broadcast Notice to Mariners as crews work to contain the fire and reduce potential hazards to vessel traffic in the busy port complex. Multiple fire departments have deployed fireboats to assist with suppression efforts.
No injuries have been reported and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Responders from Coast Guard Station Philadelphia, Coast Guard Station Cape May, and Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City have been deployed to assist. Partner agencies on scene include the Wilmington Fire Department, Delaware City Fire Department, Philadelphia Fire Department, New Jersey Office of Emergency Management, and Delaware Emergency Management.
The incident follows another major barge fire in the Delaware Bay region in 2022, when a barge carrying scrap household appliances burned for approximately 26 hours in what officials described as the largest firefighting operation in Delaware state history.
Response operations for the current fire remain ongoing.
Subscribe for Daily Maritime Insights
Sign up for gCaptain’s newsletter and never miss an update
— trusted by our 107,414 members
Tuesday, March 10, 2026 9:34AM
MINQUADALE, Del. (WPVI) — The DMV in Wilmington, Delaware is reopening at 8a.m. Tuesday.
This comes after the deadly shooting of State Trooper Matthew “Ty” Snook, 34, in December 2025.
A man walked into the facility and shot and killed Snook.
The DMV said service at the Wilmington location will be by appointment only for now. The Delaware City, Dover, and Georgetown DMV locations will continue to offer walk-in service to customers.
Copyright © 2026 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.
Alaska High School Girls Basketball 2026 ASAA State Championship Brackets – March 10
WATCH: How Helping One Woman provides hope and support with ‘Girl’s Night Out’
Congressional subcommittee to hold hearing in Little Rock on ‘failures’ of local housing authority | Arkansas Democrat Gazette
Colorado residents should prepare for Xcel power outages this week as fire danger surges, utility says
Pension fund assets for retired CT state employees and teachers up 14%
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
Map: 2.3-Magnitude Earthquake Reported North of New York City
Trump stirs GOP primary drama with visit to Massie’s Kentucky home turf
Israeli air strike targets building in south Lebanon
Ed Martin, outspoken Justice Department lawyer, is formally accused of ethical violations | CNN Politics
Trump reveals top issues GOP should focus on to secure midterms victory: ‘I’ve never been more confident’
-
Wisconsin1 week agoSetting sail on iceboats across a frozen lake in Wisconsin
-
Massachusetts1 week agoMassachusetts man awaits word from family in Iran after attacks
-
Maryland1 week agoAM showers Sunday in Maryland
-
Pennsylvania5 days agoPa. man found guilty of raping teen girl who he took to Mexico
-
Florida1 week agoFlorida man rescued after being stuck in shoulder-deep mud for days
-
Detroit, MI4 days agoU.S. Postal Service could run out of money within a year
-
Miami, FL6 days agoCity of Miami celebrates reopening of Flagler Street as part of beautification project
-
Sports6 days agoKeith Olbermann under fire for calling Lou Holtz a ‘scumbag’ after legendary coach’s death