Sandy Hook Fuel Spill Being Investigated

The National Park Service, working with the U.S. Coast Guard, is investigating a fuel spill detected in Sandy Hook Bay Thursday.

The authorities have determined that the spill is diesel fuel, according to NJ.com. Officials are working to try and determine the origin of the spill and any damage it may have caused to the environment, according to the Asbury Park Press. The spill could harm the wildlife in the bay, including fish, birds and seals that migrate into the bay during the winter.

The spill was detected on Thursday and is confirmed to be 300 yards wide and two miles long.

National Park Service and Coast Guard rushed Thursday to block off and protect Horseshoe Cove and the salt marsh, the APP said. The yellow boom placed to protect the coastline was still there on Friday morning.

Officials are also concerned about the potential for the fuel to travel to Skeleton Hill Island, where seals are known to beach this time of year, NJ.com reports.

A sheen was still visible in parts of Sandy Hook Bay on Friday morning. Water by the Sandy Hook Chapel at Fort Hancock had a rainbow-tinted coating, the APP reports.

Authorities are still working to determine the source of the fuel spill.