A nine-alarm fire that engulfed a New Jersey warehouse that houses eight businesses, displacing nearly 200 residents from nearby apartment buildings, continued to smolder more than 24 hours later.
Some flames and thick white smoke could still be seen Thursday at the 85-year-old warehouse on the 1600 block of Livingston Avenue in North Brunswick as firefighters worked to douse hot spots at the 1 million square-foot structure.
The inferno sparked just before 2 a.m. Wednesday, sending plumes of black smoke into the air that were visible from space. The eight businesses housed in the structure are involved in plastics, floor coverings, car parts, car batteries and home furnishings, which fueled the blaze.
The massive fire shut down roadways in the area as more than 100 firefighters from nearly a dozen counties battled the blaze. Three firefighters suffered minor injuries, including a hand injury, smoke inhalation and heat fatigue. No one else was hurt.
Residents of a nearby apartment building were ordered to leave after heat from the blaze set the siding on fire. Others were moved as a precaution over fears of potential toxins being released from the burning plastic.
"All you heard was crackling, felt like it was a witch's cauldron just bubbling," displaced resident Monica Van Pelt said.
Van Pelt said as soon as she saw the fire, she called first responders and began loading up her van with as much of her belongings as she could.
“We filled up water bottles, filled up cooler jugs, rolled sleeping bags,” she said.
About 10 buildings were evacuated because of the smoke; authorities said a decision would be made Thursday as to when residents would be permitted back into their homes.
"It was unbelievable," said resident Regina Sawyer. "I've never seen anything like this."
The cause of the blaze was not known and the investigation would not begin until the flames were out. The billowing thick smoke was visible on a weather satellite photo.
“The lesson I learned from this is that you got to be prepared in life, you got to be prepared for the unexpected in life,” Sawyer said.
Some were able to go back to their apartments Tuesday night to grab some belongings, but they will be unable to return home until Thursday afternoon at the earliest.
“It was just like you were descending into hell," Van Pelt said. "It was black, sooty. It looked war torn."
Officials were monitoring air quality and would continue to check the smoke for any health threats, Dwayne Harrington of the Environmental Protection Administration said.
Officials had not detected any dangerous levels of toxins, Mayor Francis Womack III said.
The mayor recommended nearby residents stay inside and turn off their air conditioners as a precaution. Officials were helping residents with respiratory health problems move, if they were unable to do so.
Multiple agencies responded to the scene, including the Red Cross. A shelter for displaced residents has been established at Linwood Middle School; at least 110 residents checked in at the shelter and about 75 remained there Wednesday afternoon, though they had left by Thursday. Forty-four fire engines and 35 tankers operating as water shuttles from at least six nearby counties assisted.
