‘Fire Is Out’ In Belleville; Governor Visits Town After Massive Warehouse Blaze [PHOTOS]

BELLEVILLE, NJ — “The fire is out,” Belleville’s mayor says.

This was the latest update from Michael Melham on Thursday evening in the wake of a massive fire that ravaged a large section of the township on Sunday.

“While a few hot spots remain, we are officially calling the fire extinguished,” Melham said. “We still have mutual aid companies at the scene and covering our firehouses, however, by the end of the day, we expect them to be released and for the Belleville Fire Department to resume handling operations moving forward.”

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has reported that background air quality action levels are below the standard action level – a major concern that many residents have been asking about on social media.

The massive, 12-alarm fire broke out on Cortlandt Street around 3 p.m. on May 3. Firefighting crews could be seen converging on an industrial building at 347 Cortlandt Street, which houses a mattress warehouse and textile manufacturing business. Strong winds eventually spread the flames to multiple warehouses in the neighborhood – with several collapses reported – and additional structure fires were seen several blocks away.

A local state of emergency was declared on Sunday.

Multiple families living near the area were evacuated from their homes. Other residents reported that the fire left them without electricity, water and internet service.

There was no loss of life or civilian injuries. However, one firefighter sustained a minor elbow injury and was transported to Clara Maass Medical Center. Several others were treated overnight for smoke inhalation and exhaustion.

Several online fundraisers have been launched in the wake of the massive blaze

>> Related: Devastating Fire Leaves Belleville Families, Businesses Pleading For Help

GOVERNOR: ‘STATE IS WORKING CLOSELY WITH BELLEVILLE’

Gov. Mikie Sherrill visited Belleville on Thursday to survey the damage and meet with local officials and emergency responders.

“The New Jersey Office of Emergency Management has been working closely with Belleville and Essex County emergency management partners on the response, and we will continue to ensure the community has the support it needs to recover,” Sherrill said.

Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo Jr. and New Jersey Assemblywoman Carmen Morales also visited the scene of the fire on Thursday.

“We toured the affected area and discussed the tremendous financial burden Belleville is facing in the aftermath,” Melham reported. “He offered to work alongside me and our legislative delegation in making a direct appeal to the governor for special financial assistance to help offset these extraordinary costs.”

“From overtime expenses, to water charges, to demolition and carting costs, the numbers are large – very large,” Melham said.

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POTENTIAL CAUSE

Melham told News 12 New Jersey that while the investigation is ongoing, welding may have played a role in starting the fire.

Video from the scene shared by PIX11 News reportedly shows the moment that the fire began in a warehouse (watch the footage here). Flames can be seen sparking in a corner of the building, eventually attracting the attention of a worker, who calls for help and moves boxes and other materials away from the fire. Subsequent attempts to douse the flames are unsuccessful.

An investigation into the fire continues, Melham told the New York Post.

SCHOOLS

Belleville schools closed Monday and remained closed all week. The district moved to virtual learning on Thursday and Friday as the town continues to recover from the devastating fire.

Superintendent Erick Alfonsogave the school community an update on Wednesday, sharing a video that showed an overhead view of the extensive damage left behind by the fire – some of which was still smoldering.

“We just met with OEM and emergency services… upon their guidance, it is strongly encouraged that we maintain schools closed for the rest of the week,” the superintendent explained.

Alfonso said the New Jersey Department of Education has approved the decision to pivot to virtual instruction.

“It is not the best situation,” Alfonso said. “We're doing the best with what we have, and our top priority after safety is to maintain the continuity of instruction.”

“Once OEM is done with their part, we're going to make sure that everything is ready to go before we welcome all our families back,” Alfonso said.

• Related: Belleville Schools Move To Virtual Learning After Major Fire Ravages Town

FUNDRAISERS

Several online fundraisers have been launched in the wake of the devastating fire.

The following campaigns are currently running on GoFundMe:

We Lost Our Home After Belleville Fire, Help Us Start Over – “We lost everything in the fire. Right now, we need help with temporary housing, food, clothing, school supplies for my son, and even the most basic essentials like toilet paper. I can’t believe we have to start all over but we literally lost everything.”

Rebuild Dad’s Warehouse After Belleville Fire – “I’m writing this on behalf of my dad. Today, his mattress warehouse in Belleville, New Jersey caught fire. The fire became extremely severe, and the building has collapsed. Unfortunately, he did not have insurance coverage for the inventory at the time. He built his business from nothing through years of hard work, and seeing everything he worked for disappear in a single day has been devastating for us. Right now, we are trying to figure out how to recover. We are facing a very difficult situation.”

Help Us Rebuild After Fire – “On the day of the fire, my family and I were evacuated from our home with little warning. We live very close to the fire area, and it was terrifying to leave everything behind, not knowing what would happen. Our two kids and our dog, Sharkie, were scared, but we are so grateful that we are all safe. Unfortunately, our home suffered damage, and we still don’t know when we’ll be able to return. The hardest part is seeing my little ones and Sharkie miss their home so much. Our small business, which was our main source of income, was also lost in the fire. Everything we worked so hard to build burned down, and we are now starting from zero again after already overcoming difficult times in the past.”

In The Belleville Fire, Everything We Built Was Gone – “A fire destroyed our warehouse at 347 Cortlandt Street in Belleville, New Jersey, and in just a few hours, everything we had worked so hard for was gone. Years of sacrifice, long days, and dedication turned to ashes overnight. We lost everything — our entire inventory, our equipment, and the materials that kept our business running. This isn’t just a business to us. It’s our livelihood. It’s how we support ourselves, our family, and our future. We built it step by step, with effort, hope, and so much heart. What makes this even harder is that we did not have insurance coverage at the time. Our Certificate of Occupancy (CO) had not yet been approved due to pending roof repairs by the landlord, and because of that, we are now facing this loss completely on our own. Right now, we are trying to process everything… but the truth is, we are starting from zero.”

Help My Father Rebuild After Business Fire In Belleville – “My father owns a business in Belleville, New Jersey, and on May 6, 2026, he received a call on his day off that changed everything. His business, along with others in the same building, was on fire. The cause is still unknown, but the fire completely destroyed his business—one of his biggest goals in life. He had worked for years to open his own business, and just two years ago, he finally achieved that dream. Now, in a matter of hours, it was all gone… Every bit of income he worked so hard for went into building up his business, and now everything he needed to keep it running has been lost in the fire.”

Support Bethany's Recovery from Fire Loss – “My daughter Bethany's apartment caught fire today while she was away. Thankfully she wasn't home. She's safe and has a place to stay tonight, but she lost nearly everything. She'll be heading home to Michigan later this week, and we're so relieved to have her safe and close again. But replacing everything she lost, especially the equipment she needs for school and her design work, is more than she can manage on her own right now.”

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