Firefighters doggedly battled a four-alarm fire that engulfed a New Jersey industrial park early Friday.
The fire at Trumbull Street in Elizabeth, just southeast of Newark Liberty International Airport, broke out around 5:30 a.m. It was still raging hours later.
The city's mayor said at least three, maybe four, warehouses in the complex had caught fire; they had already seen two roofs collapse by 9 a.m. At least 100 firefighters were estimated to be on hand.
"We'll be fighting this fire for many hours, if not a couple of days. It's not going to get out quickly," Mayor Christian Bollwage said.
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The age and structure of the buildings, including their precarious location, have made the fire especially difficult to fight. Crews were forced to stay out of the warehouses and put water on the fire from a distance.
"These buildings were built in the late 1800s, it was the original home of Singer manufacturing. They made sewing machines here," Bollwage explained. "And then, during World War II, it was a major outlet for the manufacturing of war weapons."
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Chopper 4 was over the scene, capturing angry orange flames towering on the roof. Black smoke could be seen billowing toward Staten Island.
Bollwage said investigators believe plastics burning inside the buildings have contributed to the thick smoke. He added that Department of Environmental Protection teams would be at the scene shortly to test the air quality.
No injuries were reported, and officials don't believe anyone was inside when the fire started. Bollwage said an on-site manager confirmed the buildings were locked up overnight.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
