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11-alarm chemical fire in Passaic in New Jersey injures fire fighter, US
A dramatic fire near a chemical plant burned through Friday night, 14 January 2022 and into Saturday in northern New Jersey but led to no evacuation orders or serious injuries, just heavy smoke that was seen and smelled in nearby New York City. The fire at Majestic Industries and the Qualco chemical plant in Passaic was in buildings housing plastics, pallets and chlorine, officials said but catastrophe was averted. More than 200 fire fighters from throughout Essex, Bergen and Passaic counties battled the 11-alarm chemical fire that sent one to the hospital early Saturday. By 9h30am Saturday morning, the fire had been contained and a three-storey building had collapsed. Frigid temperatures caused runoff water to freeze and create even more hazards for first responders from three counties. One fire fighter was taken to the hospital after being hit in the face with debris. He is doing well but will remain under observation. There were various slips and falls though as the fire fighters also battle the elements.
Passaic Fire Chief Patrick Trentacost said that the building where the fire started, which is along the river, collapsed in on itself. It was vacant but was being used to store plastics, pallets and some chlorine. He also said that the fire fighters are drafting water from the river to supplement the water that they are using. Fire fighters were battling the blaze in frigid conditions. The city was 20 degrees after midnight but subzero wind chills are expected overnight with winds of about 15 to 20 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service. It will feel about -10 to -5 degrees on Friday night into mid to late Saturday morning. Fire Chief Trentacost said that his department has been in touch with Passaic Valley Water to provide adequate water pressure and that fire boats from other departments were also en route. The smoke was so significant that it was being picked up by radar from the National Weather Service as it spread across northern New Jersey and off the coast. Mayor Hector Lora said that the bulk of the fire, which began around 20h30 on Friday, 14 January 2022, is in the Majestic Industries portion of the property but that part has also spread to the Qualco chemical plant at 225 Passaic Street. Mayor Lora, who took to Facebook Live throughout the night with updates, said the fire was in multiple buildings and that they expected to lose the whole structure. "There have been bad fires but this is the worst that I've ever seen," he said. He added that the fire was still not under control as of 12h30am but it has not spread to where the chemicals are housed. He said the Department of Environmental Protection is on hand and will be assessing the air quality throughout the night. “If it got to the chemicals there would have been mandatory evacuations,” Mayor Lora said. “The fire continues to burn but we have made tremendous progress.” He noted that as the fire trucks run out of gas, they have to stop to refuel before continuing their efforts. Residents were evacuated from the immediate area of the blaze and advised anyone nearby to close their windows. Passaic Street from First Street to Main Avenue was closed to traffic as well as Route 21 in both directions. “I’m asking residents to keep your windows closed as our fire department and our emergency responders are assessing the extent of this fire,” Mayor Lora said. “We are asking all residents to stay as far away as possible. This is a chemical fire. You will see the colour in the sky.” Qualco, the site of the fire, produces and distributes chemicals used to treat pools and spas. They have been based in the city for more than 30 years. The company housed more than two dozen chemicals on site in 2020 with a daily inventory ranging from 500 pounds of sodium hexametaphosphate to 500 000 pounds of the industrial disinfectant trichloroisocyanuric acid, according to the latest “Community Right to Know” data on hazardous substances from the state Department of Environmental Protection. According to a 2016 safety datasheet on the website paspdirect.com, Qualco had several chemicals on site including aluminium chlorhydrate and 1,2-Ethanediamine that were the ingredients to a product called “Liquid Floc Rite“ that settles unfilterable substances like algae to the pool floor to be vacuumed. The report says it can cause serious eye damage and skin irritation. The Passaic Fire Department had used the Qualco facility in the 1990s as a training ground for dealing with large scale chemical fires and spills. Sources: North Jersey News, KRWG |
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