It was like throwing a lit match into a matchstick factory.
A paper and plastic recycling center caught fire in Brooklyn Tuesday, creating a massive inferno that burned through the night and reduced a building to rubble, officials said.
By 2 a.m. firefighters were still trying to control the blaze inside the Rapid Processing Center on Humboldt St. and Greenpoint Ave. in Greenpoint that began at 7 p.m. the night before. The smoky conflagration could be seen for miles, officials said.
Nearly 200 firefighters used tower ladders to douse the blaze from above at it ate through the recycled products and the building, which suffered a partial collapse, according to officials.
All of the workers at the recycling plant managed to get out safely, officials said. Only one firefighter suffered a minor injury.
The cause of the fire remained a mystery early Wednesday.
