An enormous plume of black smoke is rising from an uncontrolled, multi-alarm fire at a candle-making factory in Irvington, New Jersey (located in the environs of the City of Newark).

Following the currents of arctic-front-generated winds, the plume rises high over nearby Newark Bay and crosses over Staten Island. Whether the plume thence heads out to sea, or threads a course along the Atlantic Coast, is undeterminable from my vantage. (According to radio news, the plume can be seen for 20 miles.)

This facility is located within the 180-degree geographcal arc of industry described in yesterday's Shipping News, No. 6: Update.

-- Harbor Guy (HarborGuy@OnThe.Waterfront), January 17, 2000

Answers

Yikes!

-- Hokie (Hokie_@hotmail.com), January 17, 2000.

Does this mean they won't be shipping my candle order? Yuck, glad I am not in the path of the plume. Hope there isn't anyone injured.

-- Richard (Astral-Acres@webtv.net), January 17, 2000.

Hate to say it, but there are frequently warehouse fires in New Jersey.

-- Mara (MaraWayne@aol.com), January 17, 2000.

The label on the can: For Insurance purposes only.

-- Possible Impact (posim@hotmail.com), January 17, 2000.

Update: Radio news reports that an explosion occurred inside the facility, which apparently set off the blaze. No one has been injured, but the immediate neighborhood has been smoked out and partially evacuated.

Must've been the exploding April Fools' candles, Mara :-\

-- Harbor Guy (HarborGuy@OnThe.Waterfront), January 17, 2000.

That is the first time I have ever heard anything about an explosion in a candle factory. Embedded wick problem?

-- Forrest Covington (theforrest@mindspring.com), January 17, 2000.

How 'bout a "Time Bomb 2000" that went off?

[OT -- I live within a 50 mile radius of NYC. Very populated. I recall reports of shelves seeming bare at stores across the country: items stacked toward the front to hide the emptiness behind them. This weekend I went to the store, and oddly, that's exactly what it seemed like. The shelves were unusually bare, and items were fronted which gave the appearance that they were full. Some items totally out. Some nearly. And an exceptional number were very sparse beneath the outward items. It has NEVER been like this. Call it what you want, but this is unusual. Anyone with information about food distribution should post it. Or of the condition of shelves elsewhere across the country. Start a new thread, otherwise few might read it. Use this as a quote if you'd like, or your own.

-- Patrick Lastella (Lastella1@aol.com), January 17, 2000.

No, the Secaucus swamp gas caught on fire. Yeah, that's the ticket...

-- Patrick Lastella (Lastella1@aol.com), January 17, 2000.

Sunday Herald Jan 15 2000 Melbourne

The computer age has not caught up with candlemaker Gary Fisher.

Mr Fisher plies his trade with machines made in the 19th century.

He refers to his moulding and dipping machines as the deluxe models of the 1800s.

But he can still make 36 dozen candles an hour in the factory behind his shop at Sovereign Hill.

And he needed to keep up the pace in the lead-up to the new millennium - candles were being sold by the bundle.

"The Y2K bug was great for us," he said. "There should be more of it."

Sovereign Hill stands on part of the original Victorian Goldfields at Ballarat and was recreated to give visitors a taste of life in the 1850s.

------comment------

In view of this candle factory inferno Americans wishing to inquire about candels can contact Gary by tel: 61 03 5331 1944

:o)

Regards from Oz

-- Pieter (zaadz@icisp.net.au), January 17, 2000.

My girlfriend was in Linden today, just south of Newark. She described the wind-driven smoke trail as unbelievable.

The 9:00 PM news says that the fire has spread to several nearby homes. Not a fun day for those folks. <:(=

-- Sysman (y2kboard@yahoo.com), January 17, 2000.

Sysman: Yes, Linden is within the "arc of industry." The plume was most incredible indeed, I've never seen the like before. After rising to a certain height, and rather than disperse, the plume essentially maintained itself on a horizontal trajectory stretching for miles.

I'd like to know what exploded in the place.

-- Harbor Guy (HarborGuy@OnThe.Waterfront), January 17, 2000.