Second fire at Kearny chemical plant in less than 2 months

The Kearny chlorine plant that caught fire in May and sent thick black smoke into the air, temporarily closing the Pulaski Skyway, was the scene of another fire Wednesday night, Kearny fire Chief Steve Dyl said. Fire crews responded to the Alden Leeds chlorine facility on Jacobus Avenue at 9:05 p.m. Wednesday to the report of a fire chemical plant, which is situated near the banks of the Passaic River.
Dyl said a small fire erupted when leftover products being processed for disposal caused a chemical reaction that damaged pallets and other shipping materials also slated for disposal. Kearny Mayor Al Santos described the leftover products as “items ... from the previous fire ... being sorted for disposal.”
Dyl said all industrial areas north of the facility on Jacobus Avenue were evacuated until around 3:45 a.m., when the fire crews left the scene. Fire departments from Jersey City, Harrison, Belleville, and North Arlington provided coverage of Kearny firehouses during the incident, Dyl said, adding that air monitor tests conducted by the Hudson Regional Health Commission found the air to be safe around the facility. Alden Leeds declined comment for this story. “Chemical manufacturing is regulated by the state ... and federal government,” Santos said. “Where the manufacturing process is inherently dangerous, there should be stricter regulations on the quantities that can be kept on site. This is a concern at facilities nationwide.”