EMR suspends Camden shredder in the USA after another fire

European Metal Recycling (EMR) said it suspended operations of its scrap metal shredder in Camden, New Jersey, on May 29 after a fire broke out at the facility early in the morning with two alarms. The fire started in the 1400 block of South 2nd Street, on the territory of the EMR company in the Waterfront South area, one of the largest scrap metal processing and export points on the East coast of the United States.

Firefighters brought the flames under control within three hours, no injuries were reported.  Residents were urged to stay at home to avoid transferring chemicals and smoke into the air, and homes with HVAC systems that consume outdoor air were asked to turn them off until the fire was completely extinguished, the city of Camden reported. Air monitoring was carried out, later permission was given and restrictions were lifted.

Joe Balzano, executive director of EMR USA, said the company believes the fire was caused by a lithium-ion battery, that it has stopped receiving recyclables, and that it is suspending the shredders pending an independent review of the causes and fire extinguishing systems and plant detection.

The fire is the latest in a long series at EMR facilities in Camden.SteelOrbis previously reportedAbout the fire on March 10 aboard the EMR scrap metal barge in Delaware Bay, citing the danger posed by lithium-ion batteries entering the recycling process. In January, the New Jersey Attorney General's Office sued EMR over 15 fires at its Camden facilities over the past five years, following amendments to the complaint that included the Schroeder fire on February 26 and the barge fire in March.

EMR completed the installation of an upgraded fire extinguishing system consisting of thermal sensors and automatic fire extinguishing cannons in May, in accordance with a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the City of Camden, which costs approximately $6.7 million. The memorandum of understanding followed a fourfold fire in February 2025, which forced about 100 residents to evacuate. According to media reports, Camden Fire Chief Jesse Flacks reported that one cannon initially failed, while the rest worked as expected, while EMR claimed that the system was working.  Firefighters managed to contain the fire with the support of the working bodies of the fire extinguishing system. This fire was the first serious test of this system.

City, county and state officials have called on EMR to completely cease operations in Camden. Mayor Viktor Karstarfen said at a press conference: "We are here again," and on June 1, a member of the city council