'Chain Reaction' May Have Caused Warehouse Fire

Plastic materials in a cardboard box may have set off a chain reaction that caused a fire to break out at a warehouse on Haul Road Monday morning, authorities reported.

Firefighters responded to a fire at the location at 10:15 a.m., said Fire Commissioner Steven Toth. They encountered heavy smoke coming from a large stack of cardboard boxes and wood pallets in the back of the warehouse.

Firefighters were able to knock down most of the fire within 15 minutes and had the blaze under control in an hour, Toth said. Crews were on scene for another hour putting out the rest of the blaze.

“Preliminary investigations point to hot plastics that were discarded in a cardboard box that was then placed next to stored materials, setting off a chain reaction,” Toth said.

The warehouse is used both as a manufacturing and storage facility. It is located in an industrial park in between Dorsa Avenue and Newark Pompton Turnpike.

The building sustained minimal structural damage, operations at the site have ceased until “health and safety issues can be addressed and corrected,” Toth said.

The fire bureau, building department, and county health department are conducting an investigation of the exact cause of the blaze, Toth said.

One firefighter was treated at the scene for minor exhaustion. No civilian injuries were reported.

Fire Companies 1, 2, and 5 and the Wayne First Aid Squad responded to the blaze.

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