After Multiple Fires at Recycling Plant, Camden, NJ, Officials Urge Shut Down
nj.com
(TNS)
After firefighters doused a two-alarm fire at a Camden junkyard, local officials urged New Jersey to shut down the facility to protect public health.
The fire at a recycling plant by Eastern Metal Recycling, or EMR, was brought under control near sunrise after starting around 3 a.m. Friday. Local officials cautioned residents from leaving their homes, citing concerns about poor air quality.
The scrapyard has been linked to at least 12 hazardous fires over the past five years, state officials said earlier this year.
The waste management company said it paused operations at the plant tied to shredding metal. Based on its investigation, the company believes Friday’s fire started from a lithium-ion battery disposed of at the property.
That type of battery was behind a similar, but larger, fire at the plant in 2025, in which more than 100 residents evacuated the nearby area.
“This incident is a reminder of the serious and growing challenge posed by lithium-ion batteries being improperly disposed of and finding their way into recyclable materials,” EMR said in a statement.
Hours after the fire, Camden Mayor Victor Carstarphen and other local officials renewed calls for greater oversight of the property.
In a statement, local officials urged state and federal environmental regulators to force the facility to close.
“This morning, we awoke to a call that has come way too often for the residents of our community — another fire at the EMR scrap facility,” the officials said in a statement.
Camden demanded that the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency intervene.
“We will not stand idly by while residents are exposed to fires on a regular basis and have to bear the burdens of an operation that clearly cannot function in a safe manner,” officials said. “We will no longer allow shelter in place alerts to go out because of another mishap in this scrap metal operation.”
In a statement, the state DEP said it does not have enough authority to regulate or permit scrap metal facilities like EMR’s business in Camden. However, the agency is exploring options to prevent future fires.
“The latest fire only further confirms why EMR’s Camden facilities should not continue operating without the greater accountability and oversight needed to keep the community safe,” the DEP said.
Camden officials said fires at the facility, which often cause air quality alerts, are an ongoing problem despite attempts to prevent them.
In April 2025, EMR reached a $6.7-million deal with the city to stave off large-scale fires. Under the terms, the company agreed to form a fire suppression system and shrink the property by 9 acres.
“The city has worked with EMR in the past to try to improve their facility, but having another two-alarm fire that created smoke plumes throughout Camden County into Gloucester Township is unacceptable,” officials said.
EMR’s national operation includes the Camden property and another in Egg Harbor Township in Atlantic County, according to its website.
Currently, New Jersey is suing EMR, in a case filed under former Gov. Phil Murphy, over its Camden operation.
In the lawsuit, New Jersey asked a Superior Court judge to order EMR “to immediately take effective measures to control the risk of fire at its Camden facilities.” The lawsuit is ongoing, records show.
People living near the scrapyards have complained of foul odors. Many have also attributed acute illnesses, such as nausea, headaches and irritated throats, to smoke inhalation caused by the fires.
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