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Following a four-alarm fire at the EMR facility in Camden City, the company will allocate funds to benefit residents of the waterfront south neighborhood and the surrounding community.

Mayor Victor Carstarphen announced during an April 17 press conference the global metal recycling company will contribute a total $6.7 million toward the effort. Under the pledge, the city says EMR will commit $4.5 million this calendar year, with $450,000 paid annually over the next five years.

Additionally, the city said EMR will make investments to improve and enhance the fire-suppression system at its facility located at the 1400 block of South Front Street. The company will also assign funds to reimburse the city fire department from damages incurred battling the early 2025 blaze.

The Feb. 21 junkyard fire sent an imposing and expansive dark plume skyward. At the time, Camden County commissioners described the output as “thick smoke that enveloped the city and could be seen as far as 15 miles away. … This is by far the worst fire that has occurred on this site, and we want to make sure it is the last.”

“The agreement that my administration negotiated on behalf of the residents of waterfront south and the other adjacent neighborhoods provides meaningful compensation to the city’s waterfront south community, helps to safeguard against the threat of fire and outlines meaningful changes at its location,” said Carstarphen.

“I can assure our residents that EMR will be held to these commitments, and we can all agree that we need to eliminate fires from this site,” the mayor added.

According to the city, the public-private partnership will memorialize this new agreement within 45 days of the Thursday announcement. Carstarphen, the city council and EMR will enter the memorandum of understanding.

‘A wake-up call’

Beyond dislodging more than 100 families from the neighboring community, the fire sparked concerns about air quality and environmental impacts from the blaze.

WHYY reported the event marked the sixth fire at EMR Camden since 2016. The publication also cited concerns from residents over strange smells, headaches, coughs, difficulties breathing, the spread of contaminants and other adverse ailments.

“The February fire was a wake-up call. It forced more than 100 families out of their homes and put our entire neighborhood at risk. Since day one, we’ve demanded accountability and real investment—not just words or promises. This agreement is a direct result of pressure from the community and from us. It includes serious dollars, serious changes, and is a clear signal that EMR is being held accountable because people refused to stay silent,” said Carlos Morales, executive director of the Heart of Camden in the waterfront south neighborhood.

Morales went on to say the group would work to ensure EMR meets directly with impacted residents to detail the investments and improvements the company will make.

The city noted that EMR will work with waterfront south neighborhood stakeholders to invest more than $3 million into the community. An established working group will advise EMR with recommendations.

As part of Carstarphen’s negotiations, EMR will also make changes to its operations.

Working smarter

The city said the company will scale back, reducing its overall citywide footprint by 9 acres. Additionally, it will increase inspections of materials brought onsite, limit the amount of materials stored onsite and reduce the height of its shredding piles.

EMR will also invest in making its facility more neighborhood friendly. According to Camden City, that includes adding biodiversity walls as well as investments into aesthetics.

Updates to EMR’s file suppression system will include an aerial system with heat-detection cameras to immediately identify and target water jets to potential hot spots, the city said.

“This MOU strengthens our commitment to the waterfront south neighborhood and underscores my dedication to keeping our site safe.”
— Joseph Balzano, CEO, EMR USA

EMR will also develop a text notification system directly with residents as well as conduct an annual open house for community leaders. Additional investments will go toward neighborhood cleanups throughout waterfront south and other surrounding areas, the city said.

In a statement, Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. commended the mayor and his team for making “some real progress in assisting residents and ensuring that a fire of this size never happens at EMR again.” To that end, the company will work with the Camden City Fire Department:

• To run up to four full-scale fire drills per year with participation from community leaders,
• On an annual office of emergency management planning event
• And to ensure on-site water tanks provide connectivity for the FD

According to Camden, these operational changes will be mandated for perpetuity. A fire safety engineer will certify and the Camden City Fire Marshall and Department will review and certify all fire suppression work at the EMR facility.

Taking responsibility

More changes could be on the way, too. Assemblyman William Moen, D-5th District, has since introduced a series of bills in response to the fire. According to the sponsor, the legislation is “designed to hold corporations accountable and better protect communities across our state.”

EMR USA Chief Executive Officer Joseph Balzano noted the importance of an agreement that includes longevity.

“This MOU strengthens our commitment to the waterfront south neighborhood and underscores my dedication to keeping our site safe,” Balzano said.

EMR has two other scrap metal New Jersey locations, in Bayville and Egg Harbor.