CAMDEN, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — Camden City Council rejected a resolution that would have kept a controversial junkyard open with increased oversight. Many residents want the junkyard shut down after a series of fires in recent years.
A fire at EMR Metal Recycling on Front Street on May 29 prompted Camden officials to suspend EMR’s junkyard license. Council said it was the latest of at least 12 reported fires over a five-year span.
On Tuesday, Council voted against a term sheet that would allow EMR to resume operations so long as they met certain requirements, like improving fire suppression, updating safety protocols and footing the bill.
For nearby resident Lashae Harris and many others attending Tuesday’s special meeting, the priority was not improving EMR’s operations, but rather shutting it down.
“It’s been a long time coming, as I’ve been very vocal since maybe about the fourth or fifth fire,” Harris said, “and we look forward to our representatives continuing to listen to the residents.”
A small contingent of EMR employees also showed up in the interest of keeping their jobs intact, like Kareem Anderson. He said as a reformed convict, EMR gave him a second chance.
“We're fighting for our job. We apologize for the mishaps that happened, the fires. But we’re victims of circumstance right now, for these lithium ion batteries,” he said.
According to company officials, a lithium ion battery likely sparked the May fire.
On Wednesday, a judge will decide whether to uphold Council’s suspension of EMR’s license. Council Vice President Arthur Barclay hopes that the judge sides with them.
“To say we’re violating due process, what about our residents’ due process?” he said. “At what point do we say enough is enough?”
The junkyard has been the site of at least a dozen fires over the past 5 years, according to officials
The junkyard has been the site of at least a dozen fires over the past 5 years, according to officials
