CAMDEN – A massive scrapyard fire in February caused by a damaged lithium-ion battery meant not only millions in damages for owner EMR (USA Holdings) Inc., but also a loss of public confidence by residents and elected officials.

The dense black smoke forced an estimated 100 neighborhood residents to evacuate their homes and, after the fire was out, deep anger at EMR burned in the community.

“The fact that we had to deal with a four-alarm fire is unacceptable, and it was appalling that residents did not feel safe in their own neighborhood. … This kind of fire can never happen again at EMR, and we are going to ensure that it never does,” Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. said in a statement after the fire.

To make amends, EMR, a United Kingdom-based company that was p

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