It is one or more barges moored on the Staten Island side of the Arthur Kill.
I can still see tall flames from my office window in Middletown, NJ, about 8 miles according to the map. Doing some rough trig, the smoke column is about 1 mile wide at the base.
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)