Firefighters Injured in W. Deptford

Five firefighters were injured fighting a fire early Saturday morning at a factory in West Deptford, N.J.

Emergency management officials were worried because hazardous materials were present at the Johnson Matthey plant, which makes precious metals, materials and catalysts. Officials checked the air quality in nearby areas but did not evacuate any homes.

The plant is open around the clock, so employees were inside when the fire broke out shortly after midnight in the refinery production area, officials said.

All of the plant's employees were evacuated and sent home, and none were injured in the incident. All who were scheduled to work Saturday were told not to come in, and company officials said the plant would likely remain closed Sunday.

The firefighters were taken to Underwood Memorial Hospital in Woodbury, N.J., for minor injuries. One had been treated and released from the hospital Saturday.

The cause of the four-alarm fire was not immediately known, but the plant's supervisor told NBC 10 that a fire from a reactor spread into the plant's fume duct system.

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