CAMDEN, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — New Jersey’s Attorney General is suing the owner of a scrapyard in Camden that has had numerous fires over the years.
There have been at least 12 fires at the EMR Metal Recycling facility in Camden in the last five years, according to New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin. He said they have failed to make the necessary changes to prevent these fires.
“The lawsuit is meant to use the full authority of the state,” said Platkin. “Alongside the Department of Environmental Protection, we are seeking significant changes to how the company does business as well as the technologies they deploy to prevent fires from spreading in the first place.”
Platkin said the company agreed to make changes after a huge fire last February, which took 19 hours to fully extinguish and forced the evacuation of 100 residents. However, there have been several more fires since then.
“This is a company that’s received a substantial amount of money from the state of New Jersey. They cannot continue to put their profits ahead of the health and safety and wellbeing of the residents who live in the community where they operate,” said Platkin.
Representatives from EMR did not respond to KYW Newsradio’s request for comment.