Air Quality Testing Continues After Massive South Jersey Chemical Fire

FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, NJ — Officials will continue monitoring the air quality near the site of a fire that broke out at a pool manufacturing company in South Jersey on Thursday.

The fire broke out shortly after 9 a.m. at North East Pool Builders, on Harding Highway. Officials said the company uses resins and other materials to make fiberglass pool shells.

Franklin Township has been in an ongoing legal battle with the company over its construction and operation, as NJ.com first reported. Police Chief Matthew DeCesari told Patch that the company should have vacated the property by Jan. 1, but did not.

An attorney for the pool company said all manufacturing operations at the property have stopped "and will not be resumed," in a letter to the judge on the case. The attorney also said an HVAC contractor at the site may have caused the fire.

Two schools had to move locations for the day, and more than 150 homes were ordered to evacuate, since the burning of fiberglass and other chemicals raised concerns about people's health.

Signs and symptoms of fiberglass fire exposure can include the following, according to the Gloucester County Office of Emergency Management:

• skin irritation and pain
• eye irritation and redness
• soreness in the nose or throat
• temporary stomach discomfort
• rashes, itching and blisters
• coughing and wheezing

During the incident, hazmat crews didn't have any elevated readings of toxic materials within or beyond the evacuation zone, which spanned a one-mile radius.

Hazmat teams also conducted air quality testing at Our Lady of Mercy Academy and the Main Road School on Friday morning before students arrived.

Residents within the evacuation zone who want to request an air quality check in their homes due to possible smoke exposure and/or odors may click here to contact the Gloucester County Hazmat Team.

Fire crews had the blaze under control by 11:15 a.m., but an excavation crew had to come sift through the rubble to put out hot spots.

Fire companies cleared the scene around 6 p.m., and reopened Harding Highway. No injuries were reported.

The fire's cause is still under investigation, DeCesari said on Friday.

Read more: Evacuations Ordered Lifted After Massive Chemical Fire In Gloucester Co.