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Photos and article by Ron Jeffers
A stubborn fire in the walls, ceiling and cockloft of a row of Lexington Avenue stores in Passaic, New Jersey, consumed six stores in the city’s commercial strip on July 16, 2018. The structure was described by Chief of Department Patrick Trentacost as one-and-a-half stories, 150 feet by 200 feet.
The first alarm was sounded at 10:08 p.m. Battalion 1 reported an “active fire” in a restaurant kitchen area. A 2 1/2-inch hand line was stretched. Interior crews reported that sprinklers had knocked down fire in that section, but there was fire above them. A second alarm was transmitted, and truck companies ordered to open the roof.
Fire vented through a vent hole and traveled the cockloft area. As conditions worsened, a third alarm was struck and members ordered off of the roof. Public Service Gas & Electric was summoned as firefighters believed they had a gas-fed fire.
Flames vented through the roof and master streams employed, including tower ladder operations from Passaic Ladder 1 and East Rutherford Truck 1. Ladder pipes included Passaic Ladder 2 on the “A” side, Totowa Truck 1 in an alley Quincy St. to the north, and Clifton Ladder 3 in the rear. A partial roof collapse occurred and a collapse zone was established.
On this warm and humid night, firefighters were seen taking breaks on the sidewalks, being passed bottles of water from EMS personnel. The fire department’s rehab unit, and a rehab unit from Moonachie EMS set up rehab stations. A Passaic County EMS Task Force bus also provided assistance. As the low-banking smoke covered the streets, the Paterson Fire Department’s air cascade unit was called to fill air bottles.
In all, five alarms were transmitted. Mutual aid units not mentioned operating at the fire included units from Clifton, Carlstadt, Wallington, Rutherford, West Paterson, Little Falls, and North Haledon.
Firefighters were examined by EMS personnel at the scene and several transported to the hospital, treated and released.
Chief Trentacost declared the fire under control at 1:54 a.m., July 17, 2018, with companies remaining on the scene overnight to extinguish hot spots and stand by on fire watch duty.
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