At a Glance
- New Jersey filed suit on January 12 against EMR and affiliated scrap yards after more than a dozen fires since 2020.
- A February 21, 2025 blaze burned over 12 hours, sending black smoke across Camden and prompting evacuations.
- The state wants a court order forcing EMR to cut fire risk at its Camden shredder and storage piles.
- Why it matters: Residents say repeated fires and chemical fears are disrupting daily life in an already overburdened city.
Camden scrap-metal giant EMR and three linked companies are facing a state lawsuit that claims chronic fires at their waterfront yards have become a public-health menace for neighboring residents.
The complaint, unsealed Monday in Superior Court, pins at least 15 fires on MR Advanced Recycling, EMR USA Holdings, EMR Eastern, and Camden Iron & Metal-collectively operating as EMR in South Camden. State lawyers say the incidents have “filled nearby streets with smoke and air pollution, creating an ongoing public nuisance that has severely harmed the health and well-being of Camden’s residents.”
Timeline of Major Fires Cited in Suit
| Date | Details |
|---|---|
| January 2021 | Fire forces evacuation and closes nearby school after residents report explosions and metallic odors. |
| August 2024 | City and EMR sign $6.7 million Memorandum of Understanding on fire suppression, according to company. |
| February 21, 2025 | Two-story scrap pile ignites around 5 p.m.; flames burn 12+ hours. |
The most recent flashpoint came February 21, when a two-story heap of shredded autos and appliances caught fire on the 1400 block of South Front Street. Helicopter footage showed thick, black plumes drifting across the Delaware River and toward residential blocks. Crews from Camden, Gloucester, and Philadelphia worked through the night; the pile was still smoldering at dawn.
Neighborhood evacuations followed. Two weeks later, residents told News Of Philadelphia the ordeal had not ended.
“We don’t want our neighborhood to burn down and we don’t want to get caught up with chemicals,” Maria Davis, who lives four blocks from the yard, said during a community meeting.
State investigators contend the fires stem from lax handling of flammable shredded material. The suit says EMR allows “massive stockpiles” to sit for weeks, heightening spontaneous-combustion risk. It also claims the company failed to separate lithium-ion batteries, a known ignition source, from incoming scrap.
What the Lawsuit Demands
- A court order requiring EMR to cap pile heights, install heat sensors, and segregate batteries.
- Civil penalties for each day the alleged nuisance continues.
- Reimbursement of fire-response costs and environmental testing.
Lawyers for the state Attorney General’s office say negotiations since 2022 failed to produce lasting safeguards. They note the January 2021 fire shut classes at Harry C. Sharp Elementary for two days while air monitors tracked metallic particulates.
EMR counters that it has already committed $6.7 million to sprinkler systems, infrared cameras, and a dedicated fire brigade under an August agreement with the City of Camden. A company spokesperson questioned why the state filed suit without acknowledging that Memorandum of Understanding.
“It appears the current Attorney General is not aware of the MOU and EMR’s fire suppression investments,” the spokesperson wrote. “We look forward to working with the State of New Jersey to address the scourge of lithium-ion battery fires plaguing recycling facilities throughout the country.”
About 500 people work at EMR’s Camden complex, including roughly 150 city residents, according to the company. The yard shreds more than a million tons of scrap annually, exporting processed steel to regional mills.
Residents say profits have come at their expense. Community-group surveys found one in four households within a half-mile reported respiratory irritation during the February fire, and local clinics saw a spike in asthma-related visits the following week.
Key Takeaways
- The state wants judicial oversight of EMR’s storage practices, not a shutdown of the yard.
- Any settlement could set precedent for how New Jersey regulates battery-laden scrap.
- The next court hearing is expected within 30 days.
No injuries were reported in the February blaze, but the lawsuit notes that at least five firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion. The Department of Environmental Protection has ordered air-quality tests along South Front Street; results are pending.
