Massive fire at California recycling plant
A gigantic blaze overwhelming a recycling plant in Newark, California is quickly covering the sky and surrounding area in black smoke.
The Alameda County Fire Department is on the scene, where a fire broke out around 3:00 p.m., according to KGO. The Hayward and Fremont fire departments are assisting as well.
Skyfox over large fire Fremont-Newark area crew on the way pic.twitter.com/H5PDg9DILX
— Mike Mibach KTVU (@MibachKTVU) July 8, 2016
2-alarm fire burning in Newark. Watch live: https://t.co/r31TDtB3clhttps://t.co/4qjyClLfqW
— NBC Bay Area (@nbcbayarea) July 8, 2016
So far, no casualties have been reported.
Fire officials tweeted out that they are engaging the "2-alarm fire on the 6500 block of Smith Ave."
Newark: Firefighters are at the scene of a 2-alarm fire on the 6500 block of Smith Ave. @FremontFire, @HaywardFireNews also responding.
— Alameda County Fire (@AlamedaCoFire) July 8, 2016
Police are urging the public to steer clear of the area, to allow more fire crews access to the plant. Businesses in the area were evacuated as a precaution, police said.
Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) warned that those residing downwind from the blaze should take normal precautions by shutting down their windows and turning off air conditioning.
“There seems to be good vertical mixing,” Ralph Borrmann, a BAAQMD spokesman, told the San Francisco Chronicle. “It’s not hanging too much at the surface level, so that’s a good thing.”
The inferno is visible some 20 miles away in San Jose, California, one Twitter user said.
View of #Newarkfire from San Jose pic.twitter.com/xX9SX8pO4g
— amandamellinger (@mandymellinger) July 8, 2016
Fire in #Newark right now! Hope everything is gonna be okay and no one gets hurts 😢 #bayareapic.twitter.com/GOKG6jV8WP
— Zainab (@zainabsays) July 8, 2016
Fire and smoke from a recycling plant in Newark. pic.twitter.com/dKliR2mfQk
— Leo Zheng (@leo7zheng) July 8, 2016
The recycling plant, Western Pacific Pulp & Paper, specializes in commercial and industrial paper recycling in addition to plastic and metal.
The National Weather Service says the billowing smoke can be seen from space.
Smoke from #Newark fire visible from space. pic.twitter.com/5EOwhjpx4d
— NWSBayArea (@NWSBayArea) July 8, 2016