A fire broke out at a junkyard in Camden, New Jersey on Friday which was brought under control after more than six hours, said the officials.
A thick cloud of smoke emanating from the fire was visible across the region including in Philadelphia and around South Jersey.
The fire broke out at around 5 pm at EMR Recycling, on the 1500 block of South 6th Street in South Camden, reported CBS News. The blaze grew to four alarms and roughly 15-2- fire tenders were pressed to service, Camden Fire Department Chief Jesse Flax said.
The fire was contained around midnight but there were some hot spots producing a little bit of smoke. Footage of thick smoke rising from the fire was visible from Philadelphia.
Fire crews are battling a large junkyard fire in Camden County, New Jersey. The blaze was reported around 5 p.m. Friday on the 1400 block of South Front Street in Camden.pic.twitter.com/OsDWtibzKJ
— Volcaholic 🌋 (@volcaholic1) February 21, 2025
🚨🇺🇸#BREAKING | NEWS ⚠️
Massive junkyard fire in Camden County, New Jersey heavy thick smoke can be seen for miles.Possible calling in air support to help with the fire and smoke that’s been burning for a couple hours now hazmat team is on site now🔥 pic.twitter.com/zEXAdSP8Nc
— Todd Paron🇺🇸🇬🇷🎧👽 (@tparon) February 22, 2025
Vehicles, scrap metal and debris were among the contents that went up in flames, Flax said. As the fire crew made progress, they faced some difficulty because the scene was isolated inside of the yard, away from the nearest fire hydrants.
While there were no reports of injuries, residents were told they could seek shelter, if needed, at the Hilton Garden Inn at 1 Penn Street in Camden.
“We’ve gotten this fire periodically throughout the years,” Flax said. “We just gotta make sure that we’re monitoring downwind of the incident.”
Flax said that the residents in Camden and surrounding communities who said they saw the smoke should not be worried.
“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.”
