Another fire at a Camden metal recycling yard has reignited frustration and questions about who's responsible for keeping nearby families safe. 

Tuesday night, South Jersey residents had a chance to ask questions and share concerns with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection at the "South Jersey Scrap 101 Info Session," hosted by the agency.

Residents of Camden's Waterfront South neighborhood spoke up, saying they feel their health and mental well-being have been compromised by a string of recent fires at EMR Metal Recycling.

For longtime resident Aliyia Jones, the latest fire — just last Friday — was yet another reminder of what she's endured living next door to the facility.

"Looking up and seeing literally hell," Jones said. "It's not just smoke — you can see the orange of the fire."

She said repeated evacuations have taken a toll.

"It's hard to go to work when you're going from a hotel disheveled and worried about your house being filled with smoke," she said.

DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette told residents his agency understands their anger but said its authority over scrap metal facilities is limited.

"There's no question that you are owed better than that," LaTourette said. "Scrap metal facilities are handled a bit differently under our laws in the state of New Jersey than other types of facilities. The law does not empower the DEP to address all of the issues being raised here."

LaTourette pointed to pending legislation introduced in June that would expand the department's oversight and enforcement authority.

"Whatever the legislature decides to do, we will be at the ready to implement," he said.

Among those in attendance was Edward Sciaba, vice president for EMR's eastern region, who acknowledged the company's role in addressing the problem.

"We want to have no fires at all in an ideal world," Sciaba said. "Unfortunately, the amount of lithium-ion batteries that we all, as a consumer, dispose of on a regular basis is staggering."

Sciaba said EMR has installed thermal cameras and other technology upgrades designed to detect batteries, which he said cause the majority of the fires.

"We're evolving with this rapid increase and evolving as an industry," he said.

But residents like Jones said change still isn't coming fast enough.

"We're just covered with EMR pollution," she said. "It's horrible. Something more has to be done besides fining them."

State officials said they plan to use every authority they have to protect residents' health while acknowledging ongoing gaps in regulation. They also encouraged the public to report concerns directly to the DEP through its hotline or the WARN DEP mobile app if they see or smell anything unusual.