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AN EARLY MORNING FIRE inside an Elizabeth, New Jersey, fire station (probably) destroyed the pumper and heavily damaged the firehouse Sunday morning.
WABC-TV
The fire started in the engine itself around 2 am and spread into the living quarters of the station. The fire went to two alarms before it was extinguished about an hour later. No injuries were reported (nor much of anything else…ed.).
WABC-TV carried the STORY.
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A LARGE FIRE IN AN ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, auto body and repair shop quickly escalated to seven alarms Tuesday morning. The fire was discovered around 4:30 am at the Portugeses Auto Repair and Express Trailer Repair shop and brought units from throughout Union County as well as from Newark and two FDNY ladder companies from Staten Island.
Fox News
While the fire was easily contained, it burned ferociously from the many fuel and gas containers in the building. The wood truss roof was also a hazard for the firefighters keeping them out of the building.
Star-Ledger / O'Boyle
This is still a working incident and no further information is yet available, although the fire is out except for the hot spots at the time of this posting. There has been no early suggestion of what caused the fire.
The Telegraph has posted this raw video of the fire:
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A MAJOR FIRE IN ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, TUESDAY night was contained to three homes thanks to quick, upgraded responses. Fire departments from two counties were dispatched to assist on the fire that began around 8:30 pm.
When the first units arrived they found two wood-frame row houses well-involved. The buildings were all covered with old asphalt siding that was igniting easily and spreading rapidly from the point of origin in the rear of one of the homes. Elizabeth Fire Chief Thomas McNamara said, "We call it ‘gasoline siding. Once it ignites, it just takes off."
By 11 pm the fire was largely knocked down but prior to that at 10:30 the firefighter evacuation signal was sounded as one of the building threatened collapse. Around midnight two of the homes did collapse on themselves.
Two firefighters were treated for minor injuries and at least 5 residents were transported for smoke inhalation. All the residents were able to escape safely, however. The cause of the fire is still being investigated.
The Star-Ledger has more details HERE.
WNYW-TV posted this excellent raw video taken from their helicopter:
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Expected to Be Knocked Down on Tuesday
THE MASSIVE WAREHOUSE FIRE IN ELIZABETH, New Jersey, that has been burning since Wednesday might be dealt a blow soon after a demoliton company surveys the site on Tuesday.
The quarter-mile long, 2-million sq. ft. plant began burning last week, presumably when a car inside a junk car stripping shop started burning. (See the original Firegeezer report HERE.) The 5-story "fortress-like" concrete structure was currently subdivided and used by a dozen occupants and was packed with flammable materials including 12,000 new tires. The maze-like interior made it impossible for the firefighters to get into the seat of the blaze, so they had to wait until the fire consumed most of the fuel.
The FD officers planned to have the walls breached in some way to allow the heat and fire to escape and permit hose streams to reach the flames.
A firefighter uses a thermal imaging camera to view the outer walls on the northeast corner
of a warehouse that has been burning since Wednesday. Heat on the exterior walls
was in the 300-degree range. (Tony Kurdzuk/The Star-Ledger)
The fire was contained on Saturday and much of the heat has diminished, but many portions of the interior have collaped and several smaller fires are burning throughout the building. The demolition firm that has been contracted to breach the walls will assess the structure on Tuesday and decide on a course of action.
The Star-Ledger has a recent posting and a video report HERE.
The building which was constructed in 1917 has an interesting history from its origins as an automobile plant and through the decades since. The Star-Ledger has a nice article that encapsulates its history HERE.
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Expected to Burn For at Least Two More Days
A LARGE, "FORTRESS-LIKE" WAREHOUSE IN ELIZABETH, New Jersey, has been burning since Wednesday, confounding the FD's attempts to get to the seat of the blaze.
Star-Ledger photo
The large complex is riddled with tunnels, compartmentalization and holes throughout the building making it impractical for FF's to find their way through the maze. It is believed to have begun on Wednesday afternoon when someone set a junk car on fire inside the building. It has since spread througout the entire structure and started into a second building where the FD was able to contain it.
The Star-Ledger reports this morning:
A sprawling warehouse fire in Elizabeth that has spewed thick black smoke across northern New Jersey for two days could burn through Christmas, and the structure may suffer several "catastrophic collapses" before the blaze is extinguished, officials said.
The fire swallowed the center section of the largely vacant facility around 6 p.m. today, according to city Deputy Fire Chief Lathey Wirkus. Fire officials say flames from the eight-alarm blaze are so intense they will have to let more portions collapse before they can launch another attack.
The fire has burned for two days as more than 250 firefighters from 35 fire agencies struggled to attack the flames. One firefighter suffered minor injuries Thursday afternoon, Wirkus said.
Elizabeth Fire Chief Tom McNamara said the maze-like design of the building is making it nearly impossible for firefighters to approach the base of the blaze, while the choking smoke and intense flames are stalling prolonged operations inside the structure.
The Star-Ledger also posted this video report on the fire that includes comments by the Elizabeth fire chief and the mayor:
The century-old building was first used as an automobile and airplane assembly plant and was more recently a large bakery that produced Girl Scout cookies until ten years ago. Since then it has been subdivided and used by several occupants including a tire wholesaler who has 1,200 tires stored inside. Another area is stacked with plywood panels.
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