Freighter near dry-docked Badger catches fire.

The Alpena is located to the left of the Badger. Photo by Lake Michigan Carferry Service.

STURGEON BAY, Wisconsin — A freighter is currently on fire near the dry-docked SS Badger at Bayshipbuilding Co. The Green Bay Gazette is reporting that multiple fire departments have responded to the fire which was reported just after 6 p.m. (CST). The newspaper reported that smoke was pouring from the back of the Great Lakes cargo ship Alpena, a 519-foot self-unloader ship that is in dry dock behind the SS Badger, which is at the shipyard undergoing hull inspection.

The Alpena is owned by Inland Lakes Transportation Co. and has been undergoing maintenance at the shipyard. It was built in 1942 for the US Steel fleet and has spent most of its life carrying iron ore. In 1991, Inland Lakes Management bought the ship which sent it to the Fraser Shipyard in Superior, Wisconsin, where it was reduced in size by 120 feet and it became a cement carrying boat, according to Duluth Shipping News.