A large fire broke out at a New Jersey chemical plant on Friday night and burned into Saturday morning, creating huge plumes of black smoke.
The fire at the Passaic chemical plant reached 11 alarms before midnight. Passaic Mayor Hector Lora went on Facebook Live throughout the night asking residents to stay away from the area near the fire. Lora also asked those who live nearby to close their windows due to the extreme amount of smoke.
No evacuations were ordered, but they were being considered, Lora had said.
No injuries have been reported, apart from a firefighter who was hit in the face by debris at one point, authorities said. A security guard is believed to have been the only person initially on the scene of the empty building, and that individual was accounted for, according to the mayor.
Police blocked off streets in the area and officers warned drivers to avoid the area as they feared a possible explosion.
The 200,000 square foot facility is located at 225 Passaic Street, near Route 21 and the Passaic River. The rear structure of the plant partially collapsed in the early hours of Saturday morning.
One official said that among the companies housed in the factory is a company that manufactures chlorine for swimming pools, and the biggest problem with a chlorine fire is the wind. Strong gusts of wind blew through Passaic as the fire burned into the frigid night, both elements that made fighting the flames difficult.
However, Mayor Lora told our sister network NBC New York that the fire did not reach the company that stored the chemicals, and he credited firefighters for preventing that from happening. A fire chief said the part of the structure where the chlorine was stored “appears to be under control.” If the fire had reached the chemicals, evacuations could be in order and the situation would have been much worse, Lora told NBC New York.
A large number of firefighters from surrounding towns were called in to help battle the flames, which shot into the night sky and were easily visible from cars traveling on the highway. Route 21, which passed only a few meters from hell. Social media video showed the flames shooting even higher than the elevated highway, as cars passed by.
New York City officials said smoke from the fire can be seen or smelled around the city. The Department of Environmental Protection was in Passaic to monitor air quality, according to Lora.
Twelve hours after the first firefighters responded to the inferno, the response was down to 4 alarms as crews remained on scene. Firefighters were still monitoring fire sources, since the fire had been contained in a part of a warehouse.
The mayor confirmed Saturday morning that nearby residents were no longer being asked to stay in their homes.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
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