The cause of a massive industrial fire in Passaic remains under investigation. The fire, which erupted Friday night, threatened a chemical plant with large amounts of chlorine and prompted a region-wide response. More than 200 firefighters from four counties battled the fire along the Passaic River at a structure neighboring Qualco Inc., a company that makes pool supplies.
Residents in Passaic and nearby communities were urged to stay indoors and keep their windows closed due to air quality concerns. Firefighters prevented the flames from reaching the main part of the Qualco factory, where reportedly 3 million pounds of chlorine are kept on an average day. The fire got so close to Qualco’s main factory floor that the facility’s windows melted, according to Passaic Mayor Hector Lora.
“Had it reached the main chemical plant, we would’ve been looking at a mass evacuation of the area,” said Lora. “Our closest residential structure to the fire is our Alfred Speer Village housing authority complex, with over 900 families that are in those structures alone.”
As cleanup continues, environmental officials are still monitoring air quality near the site; they have deemed the air safe.
