A massive four-alarm fire erupted in Elizabeth on Friday at the former Singer Sewing Machine Factory. The site, which is just south of Newark airport and across from the Mills at Jersey Gardens mall, is a 1.4 million-square-foot property that has been converted into office and storage space.
The fire was reported at 5:30 a.m.; more than 100 firefighters responded to the blaze. City officials say the fire is now under control but is likely to burn for hours, if not days. Smoke from the fire could be seen for miles. Smoke and ash were carried east across Newark Bay, where residents of Bayonne and Staten Island were advised to keep their windows closed as a precaution. The Dr. Martin Luther King Junior school in Elizabeth, which is on the same street as the fire, was closed on Friday.
State environmental authorities said there is no sign that hazardous materials are being burned in the fire, and that air quality is being monitored.
