Massive depot fire in New Jersey (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

11 Feb, 2016 20:53 / Updated 8 years ago

Massive plumes of black smoke rose from a Hillsborough, New Jersey industrial park. Firefighters are on the scene.

The fire is reported to have erupted around 3:10 at Veterans Industrial Park, which is located on Route 206.  Multiple fire trucks and dozens of firefighters from the Hillsborough Township Volunteer Fire Company could arrived at the scene. Strong winds pushed the thick black smoke miles eastward far from the scene of the fire.

 The park contains warehouses and rail.

The billowing plume of smoke caused police to shut down US Route 206 between Dukes Parkway West and Camplain Road, according to Hillsborough Patch.

Hillsborough’s mayor said that the fire currently poses no risk to the town’s residents.

Veterans Industrial Park was a former stockpile depot where 2,800 tons of mercury used stored, which was 60 percent of the nation’s stockpile, according to MyCentralJersey.com. It has since converted into industrial space, with warehouses and a rail depot.

The blaze reached 5th-alarm status, the most serious category that fire departments typically have.