Junkyard fire in Camden, New Jersey placed under control after producing smoke clouds seen in Philadelphia
A junkyard fire in Camden, New Jersey, was brought under control more than six hours after it broke out Friday evening, officials said. Smoke from the fire was visible across the region including in Philadelphia and around South Jersey.
The fire broke out around 5 p.m. at EMR Metal Recycling, on the 1500 block of South 6th Street in South Camden. It grew to four alarms and roughly 15-20 fire companies were working to extinguish the blaze, Camden Fire Department Chief Jesse Flax said.
The fire was placed under control around 2 a.m. but there were still hot spots producing a little bit of smoke Saturday morning. You can see the scene from our NEXT Traffic camera, including a crane moving debris and a smaller plume of white smoke.
Friday, Flax said vehicles, scrap metal and debris were among the contents burning in the large pile. And while fire crews made progress, they were facing some difficulty because the scene is isolated inside of the yard, away from the nearest fire hydrants.
"So we've got to transport water from the hydrants that's all around the city, that takes a little bit of doing," Flax said.
Camden County officials said no injuries have been reported at this time.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Shelter options for Camden residents
For any South Camden residents in need, Flax said they can seek shelter at the Hilton Garden Inn at 1 Penn Street in Camden. If you show identification, the hotel will give you a complimentary room while they're still available.
According to the mayor's office, approximately 100 Waterfront South residents/families voluntarily evacuated and were provided food and rooming accommodation at the Hilton Garden Inn at the Camden Waterfront and Double Tree in Cherry Hill.
The city was also prepared to open up its community centers if needed to shelter more residents. But none ended up being needed or used to house residents Friday.
"We've gotten this fire periodically throughout the years," Flax said. "We just gotta make sure that we're monitoring downwind of the incident."
"It's detrimental. If you have kids with asthma, elderly people, I personally would be keeping my windows shut or go somewhere farther just for the meantime," David McIntosh, who said he works at Camden's Adventure Aquarium, said.
Due to air quality concerns, a shelter-in-place was issued Friday night for Waterfront South residents. On Saturday morning, the Environmental Protection Agency air quality reports came back negative and the shelter-in-place was lifted.
As of Friday evening, Flax said that residents in Camden and surrounding communities who said they saw the smoke, shouldn't be worried. However, if you feel you need to seek medical attention, then you're encouraged to do so.
"At this time no, they shouldn't be concerned," said Flax. "If anybody is feeling ill, there are alternative shelters they can seek and probably go seek medical attention."
Smoke is seen in South Philadelphia
Just over the bridge, the city of Philadelphia's Office of Emergency Management said smoke may be present in the city and visible in Camden. Smoke from the fire could be seen in South Philly. The smoke billowed into other parts of Camden County and even Burlington County.
The EMR facility is close to I-676, a major highway connecting Philadelphia to South Jersey where many drivers were on the roads during rush hour as the fire burned.
Philadelphia OEM urged residents in the area to avoid unnecessary smoke exposure.
The city's health department also advised neighbors to do the following in order to avoid poor air quality: avoid going outside, avoid excessive activity if you do have to go outside, wear a mask if accessible, close all of your windows and recirculate air with fans.
