LOUDON, Tenn. — A runaway barge threatened to slam into a highway bridge in Loudon County.
Friday night, it was floating down the Tennessee River and carrying a load of metal.
It hit at least one private dock, causing thousands of dollars in damage.
A tugboat from a nearby business managed to capture it before it ran into the I-75 bridge.
Katie Cole's taken a lot of calls at the Loudon County E-911 Center.
"It's something different everyday," Cole said.
The one she worked on Friday night stands out.
"We knew it was moving quickly," Cole said. "I turned to my partners I said, you know, maybe there's something more we need to be doing."
Cole and her team coordinated resources to make sure the barge carrying scrap metal didn't cause a disaster.
"We had to pool all of our resources," Cole said.
Resources like Chief of the county's Marine Rescue Team, Chad Walters.
"Chad had said you know, I think that Tate & Lyle, one of the factories in our county, has a tugboat that they use," Cole said.
The food ingredient company did, but it wasn't as easy as a simple phone call.
"I tried to call the guard shack...and no one had immediately answered the guard shack," Cole said.
Through Cole's efforts, Tate & Lyle called their tugboat operator in, and he tracked the barge down--avoiding a major mess.
"Obviously the I-75 bridge, that they stopped it right--I think it was 600 yards or something from that bridge, that's a main thoroughfare," Cole said.
Cole says it shows the importance of quick communication.
"I think the three of us in here working just sort of sat back in our chairs and just audibly sighed because...we knew it was stopped and it wasn't going to hit the bridge," Cole said.
Tate & Lyle sent us a statement from foreman Bo Robinson, who said he was pleased to help.
He says his team did everything they could to make sure there was no damage to the bridge and that no one was hurt.
Investigators are still looking for the barge's owner.
Loudon City Councilman Tim Brewster says he got identification off the side of the boat.
He says the Loudon County EMA Director told him they would find out where it came from.
"I'm hoping the owner of the barge will accept responsibility and it doesn't become a legal issues on getting everything repaired," Brewster said.