Hillsborough officials in New Jersey say that a massive warehouse fire that burned out of control for nearly 20 hours has been controlled and contained. However, they caution that the scene is still an active fire.
The fire started Thursday afternoon at the Somerville Business Park along U.S. 206. The smoke plume was large enough to be detected by weather radar.
Two firefighters were hurt while fighting the fire. One firefighter hurt his leg and another suffered an injury to his eye. Both firefighters are expected to be OK.
No one who was inside the complex at the time of the fire was hurt.
Hillsborough schools were closed Friday due to the amount of smoke in the area. However, officials say that the smoke cloud did not contain any extra toxins other than what is present in normal fire smoke.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the Environmental Protection Agency are on the scene to continue to monitor the air quality. So far, they say the air remains safe.
The strong winds Thursday blew ash and debris all over nearby towns. Manville residents say they found large chunks of ash and wood on their properties.
The 300,000-square-foot complex is located near the historic Duke Farms. It once housed old military munitions. The warehouse currently stores plastic pellets. Hillsborough's fire chief says it is these pellets that caused the fire to burn for so long.