ELIZABETH, N.J. (1010 WINS) — A body believed to be a worker was found Wednesday after a five-alarm fire tore through a waste management facility in Elizabeth on Tuesday and burned into the night.
The body is thought to be an employee "because that was the only individual who was unaccounted for,” a representative for the mayor's office said.
Firefighters worked for hours to finally bring the blaze under control, after thick black smoke was seen for miles and fumes blanketed the area and forced evacuations.
Juliet, who lives nearby, told 1010 WINS that on a "bad day," the facility smells "horrific."
"With the fire, I bet whatever smoke that was is not going to help us at all," she added.
Others note it's not the facility's first blaze.
Keith Owens, who lives across the street, said it caught on fire last year, but "not as big as this one."
According to the mayor's office, a partial roof collapse kept firefighters from going inside.
A medical examiner was investigating at the scene, officials added Wednesday.
The victim's identity hasn’t yet been released.
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