A fire at a recycling building in Brockton, Massachusetts, that required a hazmat response was intentionally set, according to the fire marshal's office.
Officials say the building housed electronics like televisions and refrigerators, all of which burned for hours while hazmat crews were on the scene.
Neighbors were in shock as they watched crews battle the 4-alarm fire.
"I got a phone call from my friend saying, 'I think your house is on fire, I seen a big ball of smoke go up,'" said Brenda Cardoso, who lives nearby.
Thankfully for neighbors, the fire stayed contained to the building, but it still caused worry.
"You never know what's inside there," said Sandy Shaw. "Didn't know how bad it was going to be."
"We had a real hard time getting water into the middle of the fire building due to all the piles of debris that were inside," said Brockton Fire Chief Michael Williams.
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The smell was overpowering to onlookers.
Firefighters from multiple agencies first battled the fire from above then once the main fire was out they went inside the building to tackle the flames.
The investigation is on-going.
