Drone video captures the charred and smoldering remains of the historic Marcal Paper plant in Elmwood Park Bergen County. (Video by Andre Malok | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
‘Amazing’ no one hurt battling 10-alarm fire that devastated iconic building
Anthony Attrino reports for NJ.com:
Firefighters continue to douse hot spots in the smoldering remains of the Marcal Paper plant in Bergen County on Thursday after a wind-swept 10-alarm inferno collapsed the building, forced evacuations and closed nearby schools.
But miraculously, no one – not a firefighter, not a single worker – was injured in the massive blaze, Elmwood Park officials said in an update Thursday morning.
“No injuries reported to me, which is amazing with a fire of that magnitude, the weather conditions as they are and were,” Elmwood Park police chief Michael Foligno, who noted the significance of the company that employs 200 people in the town.
“Devastating,” Foligno said. “That was the main hub for employment for a lot of people for a lot of years – generations, families.”
The facility that has been a longtime community landmark with its red neon sign, he said.
“That’s an iconic building,” Foligno said. “You’ll see a lot of people talking about coming home from a long trip and seeing the Marcal sign lit, letting you know you’re home. It’s going to be hard for everybody.”
Firefighters battled gusty winds and freezing temperatures, bringing the blaze under control by 2 a.m. If it hadn’t been for the wind, Foligno said he expected the fire would have been relatively minor.
“All of a sudden the winds really started blazing,” Foligno said. “The fire just took off from there.”
The fire is not believed to be suspicious, though investigators and the arson squad won’t be able to examine the scene until firefighters finish picking apart rubble and dousing hot spots. A demolition crew is on standby for when it’s deemed safe. About 90 percent of the footprint of the plant was destroyed, Foligno said.
“We’re trying to get the scene as safe as possible before we go in,” Foligno said.
Foligno said some firefighters are being sent home as officials reduce the size of the perimeter.
Five homes were evacuated for a couple of hours. Some residents stayed at the recreation center, which has been used as a warming center while others stayed with family members.
“When the fire was really blazing and the structure was still standing because of the height and the wind it was (shooting) burning embers onto those properties.”
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