WHYY News and The Margin host community event in Camden to discuss in-depth reporting on EMR fires

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Dozens of Camden residents gathered for a community conversation hosted by WHYY News and The Margin focused on their recent reporting into a series of fires at EMR’s scrap metal recycling complex and their impact on Camden’s Waterfront South neighborhood.

Since 2020, there have been 14 major fires at the scrap metal facilities, which has led some Waterfront South residents to evacuate their homes and left them with lingering concerns about their health.

On Thursday evening at Camden Fireworks, WHYY reporter Sophia Schmidt, independent journalist Katrina Janco and WHYY photojournalist Kimberly Paynter discussed their investigative work and provided those in attendance a chance to connect directly with the reporters behind the stories.

After a two-alarm fire at EMR’s metal shredder in May led to city officials temporarily shuttering the facility, the company fought back in court and a judge allowed the company to reopen after it installed new heat sensors and water cannons. Since then, a fire broke out at an EMR junkyard in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and two subcontractors were injured while working at an EMR location in Camden.

“One of the takeaways that I had was just how large these fires loom in the lives of people who live nearby and how long this has been an issue that people have been working on,” Schmidt said. “Nobody wants these fires. I hope that there can actually be progress.”

Paynter thanked the people who agreed to be interviewed for their in-depth reporting series saying, “Without the people in the story, there just isn’t a story.”

“Whether it’s the CEO of a huge company or someone who’s lived in the neighborhood their whole life, we just appreciate it so much and we think that both perspectives are equally as valued,” Paynter said.

In July, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed a bill that requires EMR and other scrap metal facilities in New Jersey to limit the height of scrap piles to 20 feet.

According to the law, scrap metal businesses with an unprepared metal stockpile exceeding 200 tons will be required to install an on-site fire suppression system within 48 months. A scrap metal business with a stockpile exceeding 500 tons will be required to install an on-site fire suppression system within 24 months.

Janco thanked those in attendance and urged people to connect directly with news sources or outlets in order to highlight issues they want addressed in their communities.

“If there’s something about, not just about EMR, but really anything happening in Camden or Camden County, you think a reporter should look into it, feel free to reach out,” Janco said.

WHYY has multiple events scheduled throughout the remainder of the year including the WHYY Youth Town Hall on Sept. 30 to help young people learn about voting and civic engagement.