Fire at EMR Metal Recycling facility in Camden, New Jersey, quickly contained 1 month after company was sued
A fire at the EMR Metal Recycling facility in Camden, New Jersey, was quickly contained Thursday night, according to the city's fire chief.
Nobody was injured in the blaze, and it's not spreading, Camden Fire Department Chief Jesse Flax said.
Numerous fires have occurred at the EMR facility, including one last year that produced smoke visible for miles in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. CBS News Philadelphia reached out to EMR for comment on Thursday night's fire and is awaiting a response. It's unclear how the fire started.
Then-New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette sued EMR earlier this year after multiple scrapyard fires.
The fire on Feb. 21, 2025, burned for more than six hours at the scrap metal plant on the 1500 block of South 6th Street in South Camden and sent toxins into the air. Crews from nearly 20 departments responded to the fire to bring the blaze under control. Camden County and EMR later confirmed that the fire was likely caused by a lithium-ion battery, which can't be recycled at the plant.
State officials previously said there have been at least 12 major fires over the past five years at EMR.
Months after the fire in 2025, the city of Camden and EMR reached a deal under which the facility will invest $6.7 million in the community. Camden Mayor Victor Carstarphen previously said that $4.5 million was committed in 2025, and $450,000 would be paid annually over the next five years.
EMR also said it would reduce its footprint in the city by nine acres, limit materials and increase inspections at the site. It also said it would install an aerial fire suppression system that includes heat detection cameras to identify potential hot spots and develop a text notification system for residents.
No one was injured in the fire in 2025, but more than 100 people living nearby evacuated from their homes due to air quality concerns as crews worked to get it under control.