North Brunswick warehouse fire still burns

Smoke continues to rise from Wednesday's massive warehouse fire as evacuated residents learn they will have to stay away from their homes for one more night.

Smouldering remains of the North Brunswick warehouse fire (Tom Kaminski WCBS Chopper 880)

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday afternoon, North Brunswick Police Director Kenneth McCormick said firefighting operations at the one million square foot warehouse on Livingston Avenue will begin to "ramp down" after 4 p.m. on Thursday afternoon and the fire should be completely out sometime tomorrow. Operations will be transitioned from using tanker trucks to fire hydrants.

200 residents who were evacuated from their homes on Wednesday, however, will not be allowed back in their homes until at least Thursday due to heavy smoke "saturating the area" and clean up can begin at the surrounding apartment and condo complexes.

An American Red Cross relief center at the Linwood Middle School will stay open for those evacuated from their homes. Lyn Scott, who managed the center for the Red Cross, told NJ.com all 110 residents who came during the day found someplace to stay for the night. The Township of North Brunswick warns of low water pressure again today and discolored water.

Livingston Avenue remains closed as do off-ramps from Route 1.

Firefighters at the North Brunswick warehouse fire on Wednesday afternoon (Red Cross North Jersey)

NJ Department of Environmental Protection Emergency Management Director Bob Van Fossen says air quality tests continue to show only "things you would normally find" in the following a house fire. He said concern over a flare up on Wednesday night led to the evacuation of several other homes.

New Brunswick Fire Chief Donald Salzmann says that the roof of the warehouse as it caves in is responsible for creating the remaining "pocket fires." The roofing material covers the area of flames which keeps the water off, explained Salzmann, who says excavators are already at work tearing down walls and removing debris to get at the last of the flames. He expects an investigation of the cause of the nine-alarm fire to get underway on Friday morning.

Meanwhile, East Brunswick residents were warned that the smell of smoke will become more prevalent as the fire "darkens" but say that the air quality is within the safe range. The smells will linger and pockets of smoke will shift around as the wind changes direction from out of the northwest to the west.

The northwest wind brought smoke south to Monmouth County where Interlaken Police issued an alert to residents.after receiving calls about an odor. "You may notice a strong unusual odor in the area as well as a light haze" as a result of the fire according to the alert, adding that there are no health concerns for residents.

Salzmann said the large fire broke out in the center of the building at Achim Import Company, a maker of floor coverings early Wednesday morning around 2 a.m. Salzmann said no one was in the area at the time. 100 fire companies from 11 counties assisted North Brunswick in fighting the blaze.

DCH Brunswick Toyota says their collision center in the warehouse was closed in June and none of their vehicles were in the warehouse.