Firefighters battle fire at Marcal Paper plant in NJ

ELMWOOD PARK, N.J. (PIX11) – Firefighters battled a fire at the Marcal Paper plant in Elmwood Park, New Jersey, Friday afternoon.

Multiple fire departments in the area responded to the blaze around 12:45 p.m. Firefighters battled the fire in the basement of the paper plant and brought it under control, officials said.

Fire officials said that because the plant has its own fire brigade, they were able to quickly contain the fire.

The intense heat from the fire, combined with the hot weather with temperatures in the upper 80s, provided challenges for the firefighters.

“Few” firefighters were taken to the hospital because of dehydration and smoke inhalation, according to Elmwood Park Police Chief Michael Foligno. He did not specify how many firefighters were hospitalized but said all are expected to be OK.

The exact cause of the fire is under investigation. However, Foligno said that it involved a piece of machinery in the basement where they make paper and shuffle the paper back and forth between buildings. 

All employees of the paper plant were evacuated, and none of them were hurt. Employees are not going to be able to come back to work until the proper inspections get done, authorities said.

It’s not the first time a fire has happened at the Marcal Paper facility. A massive fire in January of 2019 destroyed much of the facility, leaving hundreds of employees jobless.

Foligno was there back in 2019.

“I have been on the police force here for 35 years,” Foligno said. “I can tell you in 2019 I was one of the first people here and I just felt different that day ... It was the coldest, windiest day of the year and it just felt wrong, and it took off from there, mainly due to the elements. I didn't think of that today, but when I got here, there is always a concern. It is a paper plant.”