Recycler to pay Camden $6.7 million after disastrous lithium-ion battery fire
Money will go toward schools, housing, families and neighborhood improvements.
U.K.-based metal recycler EMR will pay $6.7 million toward improvements to Camden’s Waterfront South neighborhood as a result of a February fire that led to the voluntary evacuation of 100 families.
The four-alarm fire on Feb. 21 was said to be caused by a lithium-ion battery embedded in an item that was being recycled. The resulting fire and its black, billowing smoke could be seen for 15 miles.
Camden Mayor Victor Carstarphen announced Thursday that he had negotiated the agreement with the company.
The money will go toward investments at the local level, Carstarphen said. That includes money toward schools, housing, families, and neighborhood improvements. Money will also go to an “essential needs” operation that would create space for medical care, neighborhood cleanups, a text notification system for residents, and an annual open house with community leaders.
The mayor said $4.5 million will be paid this year and $450,000 a year over the next five years. The city and EMR expect to sign the agreement in the coming month or two.
» READ MORE: Company cites lithium-ion battery as cause of major Camden blaze that spurred 100 families to evacuate
“The entire situation was simply unacceptable,” Carstarphen said in a statement. “But EMR is being held accountable.”
Moreover, the agreement would see EMR reduce its overall footprint in the city by nine acres, increase inspections of material being brought to the facility, and limit material stored on site.
The company would also install an aerial fire-suppression system that will include heat-detection cameras to immediately identify and focus cooling water jets on potential hot spots, according to the mayor’s statement.
“The February fire was a wake-up call,” said Carlos Morales, executive director of the Heart of Camden, an organization that helps provide affordable housing, economic development, family services, and youth programs. “Since day one, we’ve demanded accountability and real investment — not just words or promises. This agreement … includes serious dollars, serious changes.“
Joseph Balzano, CEO of EMR USA, said the agreement creates a long-term partnership with the city and “strengthens our commitment to the Waterfront South neighborhood and underscores my dedication to keeping our site safe.”
The day after the fire, EMR said a battery, “undetectable concealed within scrap metal,” sparked the blaze at the company’s shredding facility at 1400 Front St. The company does not recycle lithium-ion batteries, and suppliers are prohibited from delivering them to the facility.
The fire outraged residents and officials as the flames and smoke could be seen from neighborhoods across the river in Philadelphia.
EMR has a sprawling operation over an estimated 100 acres in the neighborhood. The blaze was the fourth at EMR since 2021.