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Seven-alarm fire raging at Marcal Paper building in Elmwood Park

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I know it's not a normal topic, didn't see this on news yet. If anyone's lives near there  

They say building could be complete loss. 2nd fire in a month. Saying no injuries,

I feel for the firefighters in this cold.

looks Looks like another company leaving NJ?

https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/bergen/elmwood-park/2019/01/30/marcal-paper-mill-elmwood-park-nj-fire/2726721002/

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Guys were listening to then scanner at the station. Seemed like a CF.  They were talking about softball sized embers lighting off houses and buildings miles away.  They had at least one alarm worth of resources, probably more, just for ember patrol. 

Just now, USRifle30Cal said:

Been listening to the radio feed since like 8ish...a real shit show....theyre radio protocol sucks

Ya. Heard one of the chiefs say “you need to giddy up right on up here”

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12 minutes ago, 1LtCAP said:

I can't even imagine those firefighters being out there in 10 degree weather...….

I remember conditions like that when I was a firefighter. It's absolutely the worst, hoses freeze, everything ices up on the ground, you're wet and frozen, definitely not fun.

What a perfect time to have some Global Warming!

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24 minutes ago, Maksim said:

So someone please explain, what is this "X alarm fire" system.

That's the number of companies or towns that are called. Usually, a single company (one alarm) can handle a normal fire. For big events like this, they call in other companies, towns, mutual aid. It's gets labeled "X alarm", based on how many units are called to help.

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52 minutes ago, Maksim said:

So someone please explain, what is this "X alarm fire" system.

Here's a list of the responding companies that I saw:

By 7:30 p.m., a host of companies had responded, including: Elmwood Park, Saddle Brook, Fair Lawn, Glen Rock, Hawthorne, Paramus, Maywood, Rochelle Park, South Hackensack, Moonachie, Wood Ridge, Garfield and Clifton.

Most of the closer towns had several companies on scene.

Additional units were being called in from Carlstadt, East Rutherford, Rutherford, Paterson, Passaic and Totowa.

 

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4 hours ago, Maksim said:

I am sure the fire is making it a bit warmer though. =P

So someone please explain, what is this "X alarm fire" system.

Sniper got tha gist of it. It’s an indication of resources which then implies size.  Just to add a little clarification, one alarm is more than one company (assuming a company in this context is a single resource like an Engine or Ladder).  Each alarm is a set number of resources, like two Engines, a Ladder, and a Rescue company.  It’s all planned out ahead of time so in the heat of the moment they don’t need to worry about who is coming from where it’s a simple “give me the Nth alarm”. 

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4 hours ago, 1LtCAP said:

heard them talk about this on 101.5. I can't even imagine those firefighters being out there in 10 degree weather...….

I’ll be honest, I’d rather 10 degrees than 100. But it’s pretty bad in these conditions. Your turnout gear gets encrusted and stiff, everything with water around it is frozen solid. They’re prob dumping a couple thousand gallons a minute on that fire. The runoff freezes and slips/falls (with an air pack on your back) is a problem. 

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As far as I know the plant was mostly idled unless they changed recently.

This strikes me as an intentional fire.

It was a definitely a landmark for anyone who travels past.  I drove past on my way home last night.  I probably have the last intact, daylight pictures of the place on my Dashcam.

I also know people who work there.  They draw heavily on the surrounding Patterson area with people who supplement their income with other types of sales.  They aren't the most conscientious of employees.

 

 

 

 

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4 hours ago, Maksim said:

WOW... INSANE!

I suppose there is nothing to save at that point.  Hopefully all of the utilities going into there were shut off.  

Incident command was do bad they could not confirm gas or power termination...pseg slow to respond...that the fault of the chief for not escalating quickly enough...   

They couldn't get the power  station to shut down...operator had to wait for supervisor approval.....radio traffic - chief said to field comm to tell him to "look out his window".

They got gas terminated on scene..then pseg were worried the main was going to melt..why not kill gas further up stream away from the event.

 

All this does is reinforce and indicate to me how much of a delicate thread our society hangs on....  imagine two three five ten coordinated events ie attacks like this, across an area and multiply that across the nation - we would be incapcititated

 

52 minutes ago, Malsua said:

As far as I know the plant was mostly idled unless they changed recently.

This strikes me as an intentional fire.

It was a definitely a landmark for anyone who travels past.  I drove past on my way home last night.  I probably have the last intact, daylight pictures of the place on my Dashcam.

I also know people who work there.  They draw heavily on the surrounding Patterson area with people who supplement their income with other types of sales.  They aren't the most conscientious of employees.

 

 

 

 

Radio traffic indicated a 'curious' white pickup leaving the scene that was requested to be followed

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Just now, voyager9 said:

The audio is more interesting then the video. 

I know it's boring...it's just the last.

That audio is Anthony's show from Tuesday.   I listen to the first hour on the way in to work and the second hour on the way out.

https://www.compoundmedia.com/

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8 hours ago, Sniper said:

I remember conditions like that when I was a firefighter. It's absolutely the worst, hoses freeze, everything ices up on the ground, you're wet and frozen, definitely not fun.

What a perfect time to have some Global Warming!

101.5 this morning said it got up to 10 alarms, and that a parking garage at terminal c at newark airport is on fire now? also said that they were pulling water from the river?

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7 minutes ago, 1LtCAP said:

101.5 this morning said it got up to 10 alarms, and that a parking garage at terminal c at newark airport is on fire now? also said that they were pulling water from the river?

15 cars. 

https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/transportation/2019/01/31/car-fires-shut-down-ewr-parking-garage-newark-airport/2729944002/

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Damn shame. They were clients of ours long ago.... Not the best paper products especially for your tush. But a shame nevertheless. Friends of ours said they were stalled on 80 next to it and said the temp in the car rose to the mid 50's, so yea, they were toasty. For the most part, there was nothing they could do. There were close to a dozen companies there from all over, mostly Bergen County....
Thank goodness there were no fatalities or major injuries. All employees were safe.

 

 

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I am shocked that place did not burn down decades ago.  In the 1980's I made several calls there as a ChlorRep responder when I was a plant engineer for a Chlorine manufacturer.  The place struck me as the biggest fire hazard I had ever seen.  They made paper there from recycled newspapers and magazines.  They had rooms filled with huge piles of magazines and newspapers just waiting to be digested and processed.  Paper is a great source for fire, and they had mountains of it.  Further, their manufacturing process was, in my mind, far from ideal.

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1 hour ago, Malsua said:

Weird.  There was a car fire in my town last evening.

Coolant freezes and the car overheats?

no. if the coolant freezes your water pump will not turn. if your pump's timing belt driven, then you're screwed....if it's serpentine belt driven, it'll burn then break the serp belt. neither will let the engine overheat so badly that it'll set the car on fire

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12 hours ago, voyager9 said:

I’ll be honest, I’d rather 10 degrees than 100. But it’s pretty bad in these conditions. Your turnout gear gets encrusted and stiff, everything with water around it is frozen solid. They’re prob dumping a couple thousand gallons a minute on that fire. The runoff freezes and slips/falls (with an air pack on your back) is a problem. 

I was listening to the radio feed for a while last night. Those guys really had it rough. Equipment was breaking, pumps going down and freezing, hoses freezing, transfers not working correctly because of the cold. They lost a tower due to a mechanical issue, air tanks running out. Those guys earned their money last night!

I checked the local temperature at that time. It was 3 degrees before wind chill.

9 hours ago, USRifle30Cal said:

All this does is reinforce and indicate to me how much of a delicate thread our society hangs on....  imagine two three five ten coordinated events ie attacks like this, across an area and multiply that across the nation - we would be incapcititated

Wait a second. I was accused of "tin foil" when I pointed that out recently, and that a few guys could never get the jump on local LEOs with that type of action.

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