Large fire at Pepsi plant in Piscataway injures 2 firefighters

A large fire broke out Tuesday night at a Pepsi facility in Piscataway and was put out by firefighters yesterday morning, according to an article from NJ Advance Media.  

The fire first occurred at approximately 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the Pepsi plant on New Brunswick Avenue, near Lakeview Avenue, leading to a large response from firefighters from around Middlesex County. 

Two firefighters faced minor injuries from the incident, according to the article. One suffered from a shoulder injury and the other experienced heat exhaustion.

Brian Wahler, mayor of Piscataway, said both of the firefighters were released after being treated at a local hospital. He also said that the workers at the Pepsi facility followed the emergency evacuation protocol well, allowing everything to be handled smoothly.

Officials said dozens of the facility’s workers made it out of the facility safely and Pepsi confirmed in a statement that no workers were hurt, according to the article.   

Witnesses of the fire reported that they heard several explosions as the fire dispersed, and officials reported that fire and smoke were visible for miles surrounding the area, causing the police to close local roads. 

Piscataway police began to open the roads that surrounded the plant again at approximately 1:30 a.m., according to the article.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation by Middlesex County as well as state and local officials, as it originally began outside of the plant. Wahler said it is too soon to be able to decipher the cause of the incident.

“The fire is completely out and everybody who was working inside got out safely,” Wahler said.