A fire broke out on a barge at a Queens metal recycling yard Tuesday night, sending smoke billowing across several neighborhoods in Queens and Brooklyn.

The FDNY said the blaze started just before 9:30 p.m. on a barge adjacent to the Sims Metal scrapyard in Long Island City.  

It took several hours for about 60 firefighters and other emergency personnel to get the fire under control, the FDNY said, adding that no injuries were reported.

But the smoke could not be contained. More than two miles away, Astoria resident Steve Gonzalez thought the fire had broken out inside his apartment because the smell of smoke was so strong.

"I had the AC on, but the smell was coming through the windows anyways," Gonzalez said. "I thought it was my building. Actually, I thought it was my house, my apartment, so we were checking all the plugs, and then I kind of, actually went downstairs to check what was going on, but I couldn’t figure it out."

Gonzalez wasn’t alone. Many took to social media trying to figure out what the source of the strong stench was.

“When I went to the kitchen, I smell a little bit, and then I went out to check if it was my building or whatever, but it was horrible," Astoria resident Laura Tavoni said. "Especially with me, that I have [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease].”

In a statement, a spokesperson for Sims Metal said the fire did not damage any property, adding that the site was open for business Wednesday.

"While still too early to confirm the cause of the incident we are working with the New York Fire Department and local authorities to investigate," the spokesperson said. "We want to thank the New York City Fire Department and all those, including our team, who acted diligently to extinguish the fire safely. The health and welfare of first responders, our employees, neighbors, and community, remains our immediate priority."

On Wednesday morning, the barge docked on the Queens side of Newtown Creek was piled high with charred metal. New York City Emergency Management said the fire did not meet any triggers for a response from the city agency.

Still, some residents said the smell lingered for hours, causing burning in their eyes and throats, as well as headaches.

Astoria resident Adriana Brau-Diaz said the fire smelled like "burning plastic," or "a burning kind of like, chemical smell, really not good."

"I was surprised that it was like, the whole area, from like Queensboro Plaza, and here," Brau-Diaz said. "It was weird — didnt feel great."

The Fire Marshal is investigating what caused the fire and the heavy smoke conditions that followed.