Firefighters Battle Multi-Alarm Fire At West Orange Recycling Plant

WEST ORANGE, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Firefighters from multiple departments were on the scene of a brush fire at a recycling plant in West Orange, New Jersey on Sunday, police said.

The multi-alarm fire broke out just before 1:20 p.m. at the plant on Mount Pleasant Avenue, CBS2 reported.

As 1010 WINS' Roger Stern reported, the blaze began in a huge pile of mulch. West Orange police said as many as seven piles of recycling had caught fire by early evening.

Strong winds played a major factor in getting the fire under control, authorities said. As of 10 p.m. Sunday, the fire was under control, but still smoldering, Stern reported.

"It just spread to the size of a football field," said Ron, who lives next door to the facility. "It spread that quick, that fast, that large. And it started all the way in the back, and before I knew it my son said it's starting to come down the fence here."

Nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution while crews steered the fire away from any structures, CBS2's Valerie Castro reported.

Hazy-looking smoke could be seen in a neighborhood near the fire.

One homeowner said crews worked non-stop since they had arrived.

"They went door to door. They evacuated the neighborhood, and they're basically dousing the flames," said Robert Ciottariello. "Because of the high winds, some of the flames shot across the street toward the apartment complex, but they took care of that first."

No injuries have been reported.