UPDATE: 12:18 A.M.: All Belleville Public Schools will be closed Monday May 4 due to the massive fire Belleville, New Jersey’s mayor declared a “state of emergency” Sunday evening, after a major fire ripped through an industrial warehouse area in the city’s Valley section. The fire reach ed an 11-alarm assignment, City Council Member Frank Velez III said Sunday night, with crews from several counties responding. Officials say the fire broke out at a mattress warehouse before quickly spreading. “Portions of Washington Ave. will be closed indefinitely. Also. Town Hall / PD without power. 911 calls being handled by Nutley,” Mayor Michael Melham posted on social media. Melham says the fire began on Cortland St. near Joralemon St. But strong winds caused the fire to spread to multiple warehouses and caused additional structure fires several blocks away. “There’s houses over here that got embers on them,” one neighbor told NBC New York. “On the burning roof, embers are going on the peoples’ property. And like two or three houses on that block caught on fire.” Police and fire agencies in nearby communities warned residents of drifting smoke from the fire. Mayor Melham also posted videos of the fire on social media. “Please avoid the area and allow our first responders to safely manage the situation,” urged Belleville Councilman Frank Velez III. “I cannot stress enough how thick and unhealthy breathing this smoke can be. Please use caution,” he added on social media. There were no immediate reports of injuries. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less