04.18.10 - Fourth Alarm - Union City, NJ.
04.18.10 - Fourth Alarm - 1307 Palisade Avenue - Union City, NJ.
UNION CITY, NJ - A spectacular fire tore through multiple apartment buildings in Union City on April 18, 2010 leaving about fifty residents without a place to live and creating a series of challenges to firefighters.
At 11:24 a.m., North Hudson Fire and Rescue dispatched sent a full assignment to 1303 Palisade Ave. First due Squad 2 was out of service for manpower, Rescue 1 was also closed. A language problem initially had the dispatch as a truck into two buildings with a fire, On arrival, companies found a truck fire with heavy fire into two buildings. The working fire assignment was filled out and a second alarm was transmitted two minutes later. Two three story frame OMD’s were heavily involved with serious exposure problems. The volume of fire kept firefighters from completing a primary search and for a while some residents could not be accounted for.
A third alarm was transmitted at 11:36 bringing Jersey City units to the scene. Several problems had to be overcome including water supply. Supply lines were stretched for several blocks to larger mains so the need for big lines could be filled. Numerous power lines came down including some that fell across apparatus. Vehicles parked next to the buildings soon became involved and several gas tanks exploded. Embers fell on nearby buildings and manpower was needed to deal with that also.
At 11:53 a fourth alarm was sounded. The two original fire buildings began to collapse and the intensity of the flames began to diminish. Exposure lines were able to halt the spreading fire and the blaze was contained at about 1:30 p.m. The North Hudson RAC Bus and the Gong Club provided rehab and refreshments. All residents were eventually accounted for with none suffering any serious injuries. Six firefighters were treated with minor injuries.
Special thanks goes out to the North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue Department for supplying some of the information in this article.
Photos by Ed Gray - Story by Bill Tompkins.
Read MoreUNION CITY, NJ - A spectacular fire tore through multiple apartment buildings in Union City on April 18, 2010 leaving about fifty residents without a place to live and creating a series of challenges to firefighters.
At 11:24 a.m., North Hudson Fire and Rescue dispatched sent a full assignment to 1303 Palisade Ave. First due Squad 2 was out of service for manpower, Rescue 1 was also closed. A language problem initially had the dispatch as a truck into two buildings with a fire, On arrival, companies found a truck fire with heavy fire into two buildings. The working fire assignment was filled out and a second alarm was transmitted two minutes later. Two three story frame OMD’s were heavily involved with serious exposure problems. The volume of fire kept firefighters from completing a primary search and for a while some residents could not be accounted for.
A third alarm was transmitted at 11:36 bringing Jersey City units to the scene. Several problems had to be overcome including water supply. Supply lines were stretched for several blocks to larger mains so the need for big lines could be filled. Numerous power lines came down including some that fell across apparatus. Vehicles parked next to the buildings soon became involved and several gas tanks exploded. Embers fell on nearby buildings and manpower was needed to deal with that also.
At 11:53 a fourth alarm was sounded. The two original fire buildings began to collapse and the intensity of the flames began to diminish. Exposure lines were able to halt the spreading fire and the blaze was contained at about 1:30 p.m. The North Hudson RAC Bus and the Gong Club provided rehab and refreshments. All residents were eventually accounted for with none suffering any serious injuries. Six firefighters were treated with minor injuries.
Special thanks goes out to the North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue Department for supplying some of the information in this article.
Photos by Ed Gray - Story by Bill Tompkins.
