New Jersey sues Camden metal recycler over a dozen ‘especially dangerous’ fires
One four-alarm fire at an EMR scrapyard in the city nearly a year ago resulted in black, billowing smoke could be seen for 15 miles and led to the voluntary evacuation of 100 families.
New Jersey officials have filed suit against the large scrap metal recycler EMR over a string of hazardous and “especially dangerous” fires at its facilities, especially in Camden.
One four-alarm fire at an EMR scrapyard on Camden’s Front Street nearly a year ago resulted in black, billowing smoke could be seen for 15 miles and led to the voluntary evacuation of 100 families.
As a result of that Feb. 21. 2025 fire, the U.K.-based metal recycler agreed in August to pay $6.7 million toward improvements to Camden’s Waterfront South neighborhood. The fire occurred when a lithium ion battery embedded in an item ignited while being recycled.
» READ MORE: Recycler to pay Camden $6.7 million after disastrous lithium-ion battery fire
That fire was one of a dozen at the Camden facilities in the last five years, says the suit filed by the state Attorney General Matthew Platkin and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). EMR has several facilities in Camden.
“It is outrageous that EMR has failed to correct the dangerous conditions at its facilities in Camden — conditions that have resulted in over a dozen hazardous fires in recent years that threaten the lives and health of Camden residents,“ Platkin said in a statement. ”We’re taking action today to hold EMR accountable for its reprehensible conduct and to protect Camden residents.”
He accused EMR of turning “a quick buck at the expense of their communities.”
Joseph Balzano, CEO of EMR USA, on Monday pointed to the $6.7 million agreement from August. “It appears the current Attorney General is not aware of ... EMR’s fire suppression investments,” he said. “We look forward to working with the State of New Jersey to addressing the scourge of lithium ion battery fires plaguing recycling facilities throughout the country.”
‘Severe harm’
The civil suit, filed Monday in New Jersey Superior Court in Camden, alleges that fires at EMR facilities have created an “ongoing public nuisance.”
It alleges that the company’s facilities are unsafe, and that the company has failed to take steps to remedy those conditions.
As a result, EMR has caused “severe harm” to the “health and well-being” of nearby communities.
EMR’s global headquarters is in England. But the company has various subsidiaries in the U.S. EMR USA Holdings, Inc. is a Delaware company with its headquarters on N. Front Street in Camden. Both EMR Eastern, LLC and Camden Iron & Metal Inc are subsidiaries with Camden addresses.
The lawsuit alleges that fires related to EMR’s scrap metal operations have occurred in multiple locations. The company also has facilities in Bayonne and Newark. The suit notes a fire that broke out in May 2022 on a barge in the Delaware Bay carrying scrap metal between the company’s Newark and Camden locations.
But the suit singles out the Camden location as the worst with some fires occurring within days of each other.
“Over the last five years, at least 12 major fires have occurred in scrap metal piles at Defendants’ facilities in the Camden Waterfront South neighborhood,” the lawsuit states.
The suit states that the fires filled streets with smoke and air pollution, “causing chemical and burning smells to permeate through homes and causing residents to suffer from asthma and other acute respiratory illnesses.”
It alleges the fires have “caused severe harm to the health and well-being of individuals and communities in the vicinity.”
The Feb. 21, 2025 fire occurred at EMR’s waterfront shredder facility. It started in a large pile of scrap metal material waiting to be shredded. It burned for eight hours before Camden firefighters brought it under control, but took 12 hours to fully extinguish.
The burning pile measured 300 feet by 250 feet, according to the suit, and was roughly two stories high. It was destined for a conveyor belt leading to a four-story building.
The pile, conveyor belt, and building all became fully engulfed in the city’s Waterfront South area, which is home to 2,300 people. The suit states that the community already “experiences disproportionate environmental harm and risks due to exposures or cumulative impacts from environmental hazards.”
The fires
Among the fires in Camden since 2020, according to allegations in the suit:
Feb. 18, 2020: “Automobile fluff” caught fire at the shredder facility on Front Street.
Nov. 29, 2020: EMR failed to notify the DEP of this fire at the Kaighn Avenue facility.
Jan. 29, 2021: EMR failed to notify the DEP in a timely manner when a pile of material three stories high and 300 feet by 150 feet ignited at the shredder facility, causing the nearby Sacred Heart School and 30 families to evacuate. Five firefighters were treated for smoke inhalation and one was hospitalized. Two residents were hospitalized for smoke inhalation.
Feb. 27, 2021: Residue caught fire at the shredder facility and could be seen burning from Philadelphia and the Benjamin Franklin Bridge.
Feb. 28, 2022: A pile of shredded material caught fire at the S. Sixth Street facility.
July 21, 2022: A fire occurred at the shredder facility.
July 22, 2022: A fire broke out at the S. Sixth Street facility, possibly from a lithium ion battery.
Oct. 18, 2022: During a fire at the shredder facility, residents were offered hotel accommodations by EMR if they needed to evacuate.
July 29, 2024: A pile of material caught fire at the S. Sixth Street facility.
“Neighbors of EMR should not have to live in fear of the industrial business next door to them, wondering whether the air is safe to breathe and the company values its role in the community as much as its profits,” DEP commissioner Shawn LaTourette said in a statement.
The suit seeks to make EMR take measures that include adding continual surveillance and monitoring, reducing the height of scrap piles, hiring an engineer to evaluate its facilities and issue a report to the DEP, installing a system that can generate real time reports, and immediately notifying the DEP of any issues.
It seeks a maximum allowable penalty of $1,000 under a nuisances law, and any other money a court might award.