Marcal Paper sign had survived many fires during its long history in Elmwood Park

The Marcal sign had been a bright red beacon of commerce in Elmwood Park to passing motorists on Route 80 since it was erected in 1946. The sign and the company had survived numerous fires.

Here's at look at the recent fires at the facility near the Passaic River:

Jan. 9, 2019

The roof of Marcal Paper Mills caught fire. Borough Police Chief Michael Foligno said police and fire officials were at the building on Market Street shortly after the blaze started at about 7:30 p.m. in building 10. There were no injuries reported and the two-alarm fire was out within two hours.

Feb. 23, 2017

A cab of a tractor-trailer became fully engulfed in flames, but no one was hurt. The fire started after the driver had difficulty shutting down his rig when he brought the empty trailer to be loaded at a Soundview Paper Co. storage facility on East 54th Street, Elmwood Park Fire Chief Bill Shadwell said. Employees at the facility used five fire extinguishers to try to put out the fire, but were unsuccessful.

Feb. 20, 2017

A five-alarm fire in 2017 caused "very little structural damage" to a warehouse in 2017, said Elmwood Park Fire Chief Bill Shadwell. Employees were back work the next day.

The fire began in the middle of the warehouse on Market Street just after 4:30 p.m. Feb. 20, officials said. The warehouse was in operation when the blaze started. The situation was under control just before 7 p.m. Authorities said more than 100 firefighters from 15 towns had helped battle the blaze. There were no injuries.

April 3, 2016

During a storm, Elmwood Park firefighters responded to the Marcal Paper facility on Market Street at about 3 a.m. to find part of the structure's roof on fire, Borough Fire Chief Mike Pressler said.

It appeared that the building's main smokestack, which has lightning-rod protection, had been hit by lightning, sending bricks and debris onto the roof and setting it on fire, he said. The blaze took place at a two-story section of the Soundview facility, and was mostly confined to the roof, where it left a 40-by-40-foot hole, Pressler said. The firefighters were done at the scene by about 5 a.m., and no one was injured, the chief said.

Story continues below videos:

Dec. 10, 2014

A private contractor who was doing excavation work on the Marcal Paper property hit a gas line about 11:45 a.m., Police Chief Michael Foligno said. Crews shut the valve about two hours later, Foligno said. About 50 people were evacuated from their homes. There was no fire or explosion from the incident.

Jan. 14, 2014

A early morning two-alarm fire inside the Marcal Paper plant was quickly extinguished. Bales of shredded paper set to be recycled and other rolls of recycled paper caught fire, Assistant Fire Chief Mike Pressler said.

May 23, 2012

A fire at the former Marcal Paper Mills plant in Elmwood Park did minor damage and forced only a brief halt in paper production. No one was injured. George Wurtz, chief executive officer for Soundview Paper Co., which now owns Marcal, said the fire was far less serious than reports suggested.

March 30, 2012

The Marcal Manufacturing fire brigade quickly extinguished a fire in a paper machine early Friday. The fire began about 4:20 a.m. When Elmwood Park authorities arrived at the complex at 1 Market St., the fire had already been extinguished, and all of the employees had been evacuated. Police did not report any injuries.

Feb. 13, 2008

Firefighters took three hours controlling a warehouse fire at the Marcal Paper Mills plant. The fire, reported at 6:20 p.m. by an employee, was confined to a "relatively small area" of the company's warehouse where paper products are packaged for shipping, said Sgt. Paul Young of the Elmwood Park police. No one was injured, and there was only minimal damage to the building, Young said.

Company history

Nicholas Marcalus, an Italian immigrant from Sicily, founded what would become the Marcal Paper Mills in 1932. The company fell on tough times in 2006 when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The plant’s former owner turned the sign off in 2009. But, in January, 2014, Sound View Paper Company, which bought the plant, re-lit the refurbished sign with members of the Marcalus family present.