Manhattan Smoke Linked To Massive New Jersey Fire, Emergency Declared

Social media filled the gap before officials did. “Bad fire in Belleville NJ… just west of Manhattan,” one local posted, as images of the plume began circulating widely. The source soon became clearer. The smoke visible from parts of New York City was traced to a large commercial fire in Belleville, New Jersey—several miles west of Manhattan. What initially appeared as a distant blaze had, by evening, escalated into a major emergency response.