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The Pulaski Skyway in Kearny was closed in both directions after a manufacturing plant went up in flames, stranding drivers on the roadway Friday night.
The blaze, which hit at least three alarms overnight, broke out around 10 p.m. at the Alden Leeds plant, located on Jacobus Avenue under the skyway. The company makes chlorinated tablets and other chemical treatments for swimming pools.
Residents in Hudson County, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Staten Island were urged to shut their windows due to smoke, which the stranded drivers watched drift out from under the highway.
Kearny fire officials bluntly warned the public to remain indoors with windows closed because the smoke from the fire "could cause severe respiratory distress."
In Newark, Director of Public Safety Anthony Ambrose also urged the public to remain indoors, adding that firefighters from the city were at the scene alongside Kearny firefighters, as well as a number of other departments from the region.
Fire officials told Pix11 that multiple explosions occurred inside the facility.
Heavy smoke from the building was still pouring from the site hours after the fire started.
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