Fire reported at another Amazon warehouse in New York
A fire broke out late Wednesday evening at an Amazon facility in upstate New York that’s voting in a union election next week
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A fire broke out late Wednesday evening at an Amazon facility in upstate New York that’s voting in a union election next week.
The fire at the warehouse, located near Albany in the town of Schodack, began around 10:50pm and lasted until shortly after midnight, according to the Schodack Police Department.
In a prepared statement, Amazon Spokesperson Paul Flaningan called the incident a “small fire,” and said it was “contained to a compactor that’s located just outside the doors of a loading dock.” He said the warehouse was evacuated, and fire department officials declared the building was safe following a preliminary investigation.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we sent night shift employees home with pay and cancelled Thursday’s day shift,” Flannigan said. “These employees will also be paid. We are grateful for the swift actions of first responders and the employees who handled the situation appropriately.”
The incident near Albany follows two other fires at Amazon warehouses this week.
On Tuesday, the company suspended dozens of warehouse workers who refused to work following a cardboard compactor fire at a facility on Staten Island that voted to unionize earlier this year.
Organizers with the Amazon Labor Union said day shift workers at that warehouse were sent home with pay when the fire happened Monday in the late afternoon. Night shift workers didn’t get the same option, though many raised concerns the air wouldn’t be safe to breathe because of smokes and fumes from the fire.
Flaningan said on Wednesday the company asked all night shift employees at the Staten Island warehouse to report to their shifts after fire officials certified the building as safe. But dozens refused and held a sit-down protest at the facility’s main office, demanding to be sent home with pay.
Separately, another fire had broken out Monday at a facility in Alabama.