Elmwood Park NJ, 8 alarm+ Marcal Paper, 01-30-19

January 30th 2019 was set to go down in the history books as one of the coldest on record with high winds and sub zero temperatures. It also was to become the night of one of the largest fires in Bergen County in many years. A little after 17:00 hours Elmwood Park Fire Dept was dispatched to the Marcal Paper Co, 35 Market St for a report of a fire. This is somewhat routine as the fire dept has been there on multiple occasions over the years for fires, many small and a few larger including one that went to 5 alarms, tonight however would be different. As the first chief officer arrived he reported a heavy smoke condition and what appeared to be 3 buildings involved in fire and immediately requested a 3rd alarm. Co's attempted to locate the seat of the fire but the heavy smoke made it difficult and within 15 minutes command reported heavy fire through the roof and embers landing on buildings and homes across the street and he requested a 4th alarm. Approximately 40 minutes into the fire command reported a heavy ember problem and had companies chasing embers for several blocks as they were landing on houses, a small fire started on the roof of boro hall several blocks away but it was quickly extinguished. In less than an hour, all members were evacuated and switched to an exterior attack. The high winds played havoc with the master streams as the fire was rapidly spreading, command requested multiple ladders to set up around the complex and just over an hour into the fire the 5th alarm was transmitted as the fire continued to spread through the complex. A drafting site was was set up with engines drafting from the Passaic River, additional alarms were sounded bringing fire co's from 3 counties to the scene. The wind and subzero temperatures continued to play havoc, helping spread the fire and freezing water in the hoses, pumps and on the fire ground, 2 engines had to be placed out of service because their pumps froze. Command requested the state Neptune (high volume water) System to the scene however it was unable to respond. The fire eventually spread to most of the buildings within the confines of the complex including a large 4 story mill which held the famous "Marcal Paper" sign on its roof and another 2 story mill building which was over 600' long, however co's were able to protect the main production building, the complexes power plant and several other buildings. After 24 hours, companies were being rotated into the fire scene, command reported they still had numerous deep seated fires in the rubble and a demolition crew was attempting to pull apart rubble. As of this writing, 48 hours later and co's remain on the scene due to pockets of fire. Miraculously no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is being investigated by the NJ State Fire Marshals Office, the ATF and local authorities.