Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Four-alarm fire broke outside Kearny Steel Container, part of a South Street industrial complex in Newark, NJ






Diana Rocco reporting live

Eyewitness News
Updated 2 hrs 8 mins ago
NEWARK, New Jersey (WABC) -- A four-alarm fire that burned through commercial buildings in Newark Tuesday morning was under control but not out.

The fire broke outside Kearny Steel Container, part of a South Street industrial complex, just after 12:30 a.m.

The commercial building where the fire started houses steel and plastic containers, and unknown other work materials.

Fire burned through two buildings and a transformer line dropped onto a third building, setting it on fire.

Fire also spread to trailers and other vehicles parked at the facility, as well as wires at a nearby commercial rail line.

Firefighters had difficulties accessing the fire since cars were blocking the front of the business, and there were other obstructions inside and around the large buildings.

About 120 responded and they also had problems getting water on the blaze.

No injuries reported. 


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120 Firefighters Battle Raging Warehouse Inferno Near Newark Airport

About 120 firefighters battled a raging inferno at a warehouse north of Newark Airport on Tuesday morning. Tracie Strahan reports. (Published 3 hours ago)

What to Know

  • 120 firefighters fought an inferno at a warehouse that houses corrosive materials in Newark

  • The blaze started at 12:30 a.m. Tuesday and burned for hours, at some point spreading to another building

  • A deputy fire chief said there were concerns that there wasn't enough water. He also said that crews had to fight the fire defensively

More than 100 firefighters descended on an industrial area near Newark Airport on Tuesday morning as a raging inferno tore through one warehouse and spread to another building, sending smoke and ash gushing into the night sky.
Video from the scene shows the South Street blaze towering over firefighters as they try to get it under control. Onlookers watched as Kearny Steel Container, a packaging business, burned away into a charred shell. 

About 120 firefighters were battling the fire, which started at 12:30 a.m. and burned for hours. Crews were still dousing hot spots at 4:30 a.m. but the fire was mostly under control except for the occasional flare-up. 

A deputy fire chief said that firefighters had their hands full throughout the night. Kearny Steel houses corrosive material and that caused some concern.


The deputy chief said water and electricity were also an issue. There were worries that there wasn't enough water to get the fire under control and at some point a transformer fell onto an adjacent building, burning electrical wires and setting that building ablaze. On top of that, the fire was in an area that was hard to access. 

"There were some difficulties in getting to the actual building. By the time units got back there, they had to set up in a defensive position to fight the fire defensively," the deputy chief said. 

Many detours were reported around the area, which is just north of I-78 and Newark Liberty Airport. Fire officials said that the area around the warehouse would be shut down to traffic throughout the morning. 

No injuries were reported and it doesn't appear the smoke affected air traffic at the airport.