Camden suspends operations at EMR’s junkyard after 14 fires. Residents want them gone for good.

Since 2020, EMR’s five facilities in Camden’s Waterfront South neighborhood have had 14 major fires, according to state environmental records. Their industrial operations span an area the size of roughly 36 football fields, where, according to U.S. Census Bureau data, more than half of residents are Black, roughly one third are Hispanic or Latino, and about a third live below the federal poverty level, which is currently just under $16,000 for an individual.

The Margin and WHYY News interviewed seven Waterfront South neighborhood residents who experienced acute health symptoms or lingering psychological impacts after the fires.

City officials cut a deal meant to protect residents with the scrap metal company. It didn't. “We let them down,” EMR USA CEO Joe Balzano said.

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