Large amounts of smoke were seen near the Manhattan and Jersey City areas on Sunday. Locals posted photos on social media to warn others of the fires in New York City. The FDNY has not yet issued a formal statement.
“There’s a fire in Belleville, New Jersey, just west of Manhattan,” one local posted on the X (formerly Twitter) platform.
Belleville Fire Update
A fast-moving commercial fire in Belleville continues to intensify after emergency crews upgraded the incident to a nine-alarm level Sunday night. A fire broke out at a warehouse on Cortlandt Street between Holmes and Jolamon streets, sending plumes of black smoke through neighboring communities in Essex County.
As flames engulfed the two-story brick commercial building, firefighters were reportedly ordered to evacuate parts of the building amid fears of imminent collapse.
As flames broke through the roof and spread to nearby buildings, ladder truck crews were evacuated and officials shifted to defensive firefighting operations. Emergency responders also encountered water supply issues during the height of the operation, further complicating containment efforts.
Authorities subsequently established a collapse zone around the warehouse and warned all personnel to stay away from dangerous parts of the building.
Smoke spreads to surrounding New Jersey towns
The fires produced visible smoke in several areas of northern New Jersey, with residents reporting smoke and odor for miles from the scene.
Officials in neighboring communities, including Lyndhurst and North Arlington, urged residents to close their windows and stay indoors due to air quality concerns.
Belleville Mayor Michael Melham declared a state of emergency and multiple agencies from Essex County converged on the scene to assist.
“Due to the high winds, the fire spread to multiple warehouses and caused fires in other buildings several blocks away,” Melham said in a release during the emergency response.
The mayor also warned residents to avoid the area while emergency crews continue operations.
“This is an active emergency and residents and pedestrians need to keep their distance,” Melham wrote.
Officials ask the public to avoid the Cortlandt Street area
Belleville Councilman Frank Velez III also issued a public warning as crews battled the growing fire.
“First responders are currently on scene of a large fire on Cortlandt Street between Holmes and Joramon, including mutual aid from neighboring communities,” Velez wrote on Facebook.
“Please avoid the area and allow our first responders to safely control the situation,” he added.
NBC New York reported that the fire destroyed a warehouse building off Joralemon Street and that police agencies were monitoring the wafting smoke.
The fire reportedly spread to nearby buildings
According to multiple local reports, embers from the main warehouse fire may have started a secondary fire blocks away from the original scene. Some emergency updates have revealed another fire broke out on Stephens Street, believed to have been caused by airborne embers.
Fire departments from Newark, Nutley, North Caldwell and several other surrounding cities joined the response as the situation escalated to multiple alert levels.
As of the latest news, officials have not confirmed major civilian casualties, but emergency operations continued into the night.
