Massive junkyard fire under control and extinguished, officials say
Huge fire ravages junkyard in Camden
Camden firefighters work to contain a massive fire in a junkyard.
CAMDEN, N.J. - A large fire began raging at a Camden, New Jersey junkyard Friday evening.
The thick, black smoke billowed up from the fire and was visible for miles beyond the site of the fire, while up close, huge flames were seen leaping out into the sky.
Crews worked the fire over 12 hours, declaring it under control by 2 a.m. Saturday and extinguished Saturday evening.
What we know:
Camden Fire Department Chief Jesse Flax stated the fire broke out at a junkyard on the 1400 block of South Front Street, in Camden, around 5 p.m.
Explaining the fire scene, Chief Flax said, "We have a large trash fire, in a sense. We have vehicles, scrap metal, debris all burning right now. It’s a very large pile."
Camden fire chief updates massive junkyard fire
Camden Fire Department Chief Jesse Flax provides an update on the massive 4-alarm junkyard fire in Camden.
What they're saying:
Chief Flax said fire crews made some progress, but it was slow, due to a water situation, saying,, "We don’t have enough hydrants because we’re isolated inside of a yard. So, we’ve got to transport water from hydrants all over the city."
Crews were asking people to avoid the area around the 1400 block of South Front Street while crews worked to douse the inferno.
Crews work to extinguish massive junkyard fire
A huge 4-alarm fire is burning at what is said to be a junkyard in Camden.
What's next:
Chief Flax said the fire department was coordinating with the city and county OEM and air quality testing was happening, in order to determine residents were not going to suffer from the effects of the smoke.
Additionally, he said if residents were feeling ill, they don’t have to remain at home, adding, "They can seek alternative shelters in the Hilton Garden Inn and the City of Camden is prepared to open their community shelters."
He also advised residents who are feeling poorly to seek medical attention.
A shelter-in-place order was implemented during the night, but lifted by noon Saturday.
Camden officials initiated the shelter-in-place due to concerns that air quality might have been compromised by all the smoke filtering throughout the city.
Officials said air quality tests taken by the EPA and DEP returned normal results.
In a statement Saturday morning, Camden Mayor Victor Carstarphen and City Councilman Arthur Barclay said, in part:
"Firefighters are still working at the site and the state’s Fire Marshall’s office is conducting an active investigation. I’ve spoken directly to the DEP Commissioner who has promised to keep assets in the area for air monitoring. In addition, I want to thank the county Haz-Mat and OEM team that were on scene all night and into the early morning hours. This was a major event and there is still an ongoing investigation to determine the cause of this fire."
About 100 Waterfront South residents voluntarily evacuated and put up with free lodging and meals at the Hilton Garden Inn and the Double Tree in Cherry Hill.
No injuries have been reported. No cause of the blaze was given.