Fire near New Jersey chemical plant spreads thick smoke and prompts evacuations

Officials say a large chemical fire is burning in northern New Jersey with smoke so heavy it was detected on weather radar and smelled in nearby New York City

Chemical Plant Fire

A large chemical fire burned through the night and into Saturday morning in northern New Jersey its smoke so heavy that it was detected on weather radar and seen and smelled in neighboring New York City

The fire at Majestic Industries and the Qualco chemical plant in Passaic spread to multiple buildings and threatened their collapse, officials said.

Water from firefighter hoses froze in cold weather and made the environment slick and hazardous for responders.

The fire was in buildings housing plastics, pallets and chlorine, officials told NorthJersey.com.

“There have been bad fires, but this is the worst that I’ve ever seen,” Passaic Mayor Hector Lora said.

Residents near the blaze were advised to close their windows but were not required to evacuate.

One firefighter was taken to a hospital after being struck by debris, officials said. He was doing well, though other firefighters slipped and fell in the slick conditions, officials said.