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.