CAMDEN, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — A fire at a Camden scrapyard sent huge plumes of dark smoke pouring out into the air early Friday morning. There have been at least a dozen fires at the same scrapyard in recent years, and now, city officials are calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to shut it down.
Around 3 a.m., heavy flames shot out of the EMR scrapyard at Second and Front streets.
Kristen Schrum, who lives nearby, said the odor was overwhelming.
“A plastic, chemically burning smell. I can’t quite place my finger on what it is,” she said. “And when I look out my window, it’s scary because you see a haze of dark smoke.”
To battle the fire, big EMR cranes moved piles around in the scrapyard so firefighters could get water on the flames.
“It’s deep-seated, so we’ve got to work with EMR to kind of pull some of the pile apart just so we can get to the bottom of where the fire is located,” said Camden Fire Chief Jesse Flax.
The fire was placed under control around 6:30 a.m. A shelter-in-place order was in effect for hours but was lifted around 9 a.m.
EMR’s fire suppression system was recently installed. Flax said there were some issues initially Friday morning, but once it kicked in, it helped crews contain the fire.
No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
This isn’t the first fire at the scrapyard. The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office filed a lawsuit against EMR earlier this year. Officials said there were 12 fires over a five-year period, and the company didn’t make the necessary changes to prevent them from happening.
“After numerous fires, numerous attempts to help EMR prevent future fires, here we are again,” said Camden Mayor Victor Carstarphen. "This will no longer be tolerated by me. The city remains committed to putting residents first, and their quality of life has always been a priority.”
Camden officials, including Carstarphen, are calling on the EPA to shut down EMR’s scrap metal recycling operations in the city. Commissioner Jeffrey Nash, Carstarphen, state Sen. Nilsa Cruz Perez, City Council President Angel Fuentes, and Councilman Arthur Barclay issued the following joint statement on the fire:
This morning, we were all awakened by a call that has come way too often for the residents of our community — another fire at the EMR scrap facility. This underscores the need for us to put residents first and ask the state Department of Environmental Protection, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and every other regulatory agency to shut down the operations inside this foreign conglomerate. We will not stand idly by while residents are exposed to fires on a regular basis and have to bear the burdens of an operation that clearly cannot function in a safe manner.
… The city has worked with EMR in the past to try to improve their facility, but having another two-alarm fire that created smoke plumes throughout Camden County into Gloucester Township is unacceptable, having children and families exposed to the acrid smoke on their way to work and school is intolerable. Today we are calling for EMR to fully cease operating until they can guarantee the health and welfare of our residents will not be impacted by their facilities.
In a statement to KYW Newsradio Friday afternoon, EMR CEO Joe Balzano said the company is "announcing the immediate engagement of an independent fire safety and operations review of the facility. The review will be conducted by a qualified, third-party firm and will examine the root cause of this morning's incident, the performance of our fire suppression and detection systems, operational protocols, and any corrective measures warranted. We will share the findings with NJDEP, EPA, the Camden Fire Department, the Mayor's office, and the public."
Balzano said EMR ceased receiving recyclable materials at the shredder and is pausing shredder operations pending the outcome of the review.
"EMR USA will continue to advocate for clear federal and state standards governing lithium battery disposal, not to deflect responsibility, but because regulation is the only durable solution to this national problem," Balzano said.
