01/30/19 Elmwood Park, NJ - A historic fire was about to take place as a 911 call came in from the Marcal Paper Mills complex reporting a fire within one of the buildings in the complex. Elmwood Park and area fire departments are no strangers to fires within this complex. Many of them go to multiple alarms here due to the nature of the paper making process. This time would be different and historic as conditions were perfect for a conflagration of the complex. Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke from a building in the complex. An interior attack was made initially for about an hour. Conditions rapidly changed causing firefighters to abandon lines and retreat from the building. The fire rapidly spread due to a combination of weather conditions and combustible material used for the paper making process. The fire rapidly spread through the interconnected buildings within the complex as companies struggled to find water to pour on the blaze. Several times firefighters and apparatus had to hastily retreat as the fire spread from building to building. Additional alarms were rapidly transmitted bringing companies from throughout the county to the scene. Eventually over ten alarms would be transmitted bringing about forty departments to battle the blaze. Firefighters were hampered by windy, sub zero temperatures, lack of water, explosions from within the buildings and collapses. Many of the buildings within this complex were not accessible to apparatus. The largest building within the complex was estimated to be six hundred by 600 feet during the size up. Companies would remain on the scene for days wetting down hot spots and smoldering debris. Heavy equipment was brought in to help gain access to complete the firefight and begin the investigation. The cause of the fire is unknown. The total burned area of the Marcal Complex is over 30 acre