New Jersey firefighters battle 4-alarm blaze at former home to Singer’s 1st sewing machine factory

ELIZABETH, N.J. (AP) — An official says New Jersey firefighters are battling a four-alarm fire at the historic former Singer sewing machine factory building in Elizabeth. City spokesperson Ruby Contreras says a passerby reported the fire around 5:30 a.m. Friday. Video from the scene shows a building engulfed in flames with firefighters surrounding the structure. Contreras says there are no reports of injuries but part of the building has collapsed. NJ.com reports that the Singer Sewing Machine Manufacturing Company operated its first U.S. factory there for more than a century. Public records show the building sold for $1 million in August.