Crews battle large fire in basement of Marcal paper processing plant

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Crews are battling a large fire in the basement of a paper processing plant on the campus of the Marcal Paper factory Friday afternoon. Fire officials say that the fire is contained to the basement and involved paper on a conveyor belt. All employees were able to evacuate and no injuries were reported at this time. There are concerns about the firefighters’ health due to the intense heat from the fire, plus high temperatures outside. Temperatures in Elmwood Park were in the upper-80s Friday afternoon, and there is a heat advisory in effect. Fire officials said they were taking extra care to make sure all firefighters were staying well-hydrated and safe from the heat. This is not the first time a fire has sparked at the Marcal factory. A massive fire on Jan. 30, 2019 , destroyed 30 out of the 36 buildings on the site. Officials said that strong winds fueled the fire in that situation. Fire officials on Friday said that they were able to have the fire contained fairly quickly due to the fact that the plant has its own fire brigade that was able to respond to the fire before the Elmwood Park Fire Department arrived. Some local roadways are currently closed in the area around the factory, but the major highways nearby remain open. "