The massive fire in Elizabeth

[Jtgshu]

Anyone who lives in the area, probably has seen or smelt the smoke from the huge warehouse fire in Elizabeth, right next to the NEC, east of N. Eliz station. The building is absolutely massive and the fire has been burning for days and will continue to burn for several more days until it can finally be extinguished by demo'ing some walls to give access for firefighters.

But this building is quite the place with quite the history. The Star Ledger has a great article detailing the history of the building and its importance to the area. And also gives the reason as to why the now small yard along the tracks there at Lane Interlocking (the yard used to be much bigger in its heyday) is called "Durant Yard". The yard is located inbetween the warehouse and the NEC.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/1 ... torie.html

Forty years ago, the buttery aroma of warm cookie dough wafted through the streets of Elizabeth, luring children to the sprawling industrial bakery on Newark Avenue.

This week, as the blackened hulk of the former Burry Biscuit factory continued to burn, a small stream of visitors came to gaze upon the 2 million-square-foot structure as if on some Proustian pilgrimage.

I remember the smell of Burry Biscuits while coming through N. Eliz....gosh it smelled so goooooooood. I also remember a passenger who used to board the train at N. Eliz when his shift was over at Burry Biscuits and travel to Newark. EVERY DAY he would give me a box of Girl Scout cookies. He had a monthly so it wasn't like he was trying to get a free ride, but he was doing it because he was just a nice guy and he said that it was a reject usually because of a fault with the box. I didn't care, I got my fix of Girl Scout cookies

Its sad to see such a massive place basically empty, but at least the entire building probably won't be torn down, as its simply too massive and not all of it is damaged by fire, or at least not yet. Who knows, maybe the fire will rekindle interest in it and it will get a new tennant in it and more importantly, bring jobs back to the area. But seeing its demise, is just as sad as the demise (or impending demise) of all the factories in Harrison......

[Ken W2KB]

>>maybe the fire will rekindle interest in it<<

This would not be a pun, no?

[econandon]

>>maybe the fire will rekindle interest in it<<

This would not be a pun, no?

Be careful, Ken. You don't want to start a flame war.

[econandon]

Random thought: is the fire having any impact on the Metuchen runner? If so, the fire + the holidays could make a rough 2 weeks for the Raritan Central.

[Jtgshu]

nah the fire hasn't affected the NEC at all, other than causing smokey conditions through the area.

BTW, Im glad someone picked up on that HAHAH

[R36 Combine Coach]

Aerial view. I recall the plant was known as Interbake Foods in its final years.