A large fire that tore through an industrial complex in
Passaic has been contained but not yet extinguished.
Fire Chief Patrick Trentacost told News 12 that dozens of
firefighters are still on the scene working on hotspots.
The fire ignited a storage space housing chlorine pellets
and threatened to burn into a chemical factory.
By the time firefighters arrived, the building housing
Majestic Industries was engulfed in flame. There were concerns of the blaze
spreading to the adjacent chlorine factory and posing a potential air quality
hazard to those nearby.
"The goal was achieved. We had a very large chlorine
factory here that we were able to contain and cut the fire off before it got in
the main building," said Trentacost.
Every 20 minutes, chemists from the company have been
assessing the state of the chlorine factory, making sure there are no chemical
reactions. Air quality is deemed acceptable by the Department of Environmental
Protection and the state.
The main building, built in 1906, was destroyed. More than
200 firefighters from multiple counties worked at the site, some suffering from
slip-and-fall injuries caused by fire-quenching water and frigid weather
conditions.
Mayor Hector Lora says an air quality alert is no longer in
effect and people can come out of their homes. However, air quality continues
to be monitored by the DEP.
Officials say there were no serious injuries related to the
incident. Its cause was not immediately available.