Fire forces evacuation of Nabisco plant in Fair Lawn
FAIR LAWN – A three-alarm fire at the Nabisco factory on Route 208 forced the evacuation of the building for over an hour on Wednesday but caused no injuries or significant damage, police said.
The blaze, which started in an oven and spread to the roof, was called in around 1 p.m. Wednesday by an employee of Mondelez International, said Lt. Eric Leitman of the Fair Lawn police. Mondelez, the largest bearer of the Nabisco brand, announced in 2014 that it would invest tens of millions of dollars to modernize the old Nabisco bakery, a landmark on Route 208 since the 1950s.
Police said five local fire departments, including Fair Lawn, Glen Rock, Saddle Brook, Hawthorne and Elmwood Park, responded, and extinguished the blaze in about 45 minutes. A Mondelez spokeswoman said in a statement that all employees were “evacuated safely.”
No injuries were reported, Leitman said, aside from one employee who complained of asthma but was treated at the scene. Police do not anticipate further investigation.
The Mondelez spokeswoman said authorities allowed the bakery to resume production, with the exception of the affected oven.
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