1 Person Found Dead Following Fire At Elizabeth Waste Facility: Police

UNION COUNTY, NJ — Following a massive fire that broke out at a waste management facility in Elizabeth on Tuesday, one person was found dead Wednesday morning, according to an Elizabeth spokesperson.

An employee was reported missing during Tuesday's fire at Waste Management Julia Street Transfer Station. Officials believe the person found dead is the worker who was unaccounted for.

A medical examiner is currently on the scene, and the identification of the body has not yet been made, according to Elizabeth spokesperson Ruby Contreras.

According to an update from Elizabeth officials at 11 a.m. Wednesday, the shelter in place at the building has been lifted as of 7 a.m.

Contreras said the building is a "complete loss." As per the Department of Environmental Protection and UC Hazmat, the air quality around the facility is fine.

The fire is mostly out, only smoldering throughout the building, Contreras wrote.

Videos and photos showed plumes of black smoke spewing from the building. The local fire department said the fire may have started from machinery inside the building, but it is still under investigation.

Smoke also spread into the surrounding community, due to winds, and nearby houses were evacuated.

Patch will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.