NORTH BERGEN, NJ - Due to multiple alarm fires in two Hudson County municipalities, during the evening of March 7th, fire companies were called in from neighboring counties to fill firehouses and answer alarms.

It started shortly after 5:00 P.M. when North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue units were dispatched to a reported fire on the 1300-block of Ninth Street in North Bergen.

After leaving their firehouse, a block away, Engine Co. 1 reported the second floor of a two-story, wood-frame dwelling fully involved, in a row of attached structures, and struck a second-alarm. Fire was already traveling in a common cockloft to a total of six homes when First Battalion Chief Al Salvesen arrived and transmitted a third-alarm.

There was a low-banking, fog-like smoke that covered the area. Fire companies that turned out from a firehouse on 43rd Street, Union City, were exposed to this condition as they left their quarters, over a mile away. In addition, fire apparatus had trouble getting to the scene, on side streets filled with detoured traffic, during the height of rush hour in this congested area.

Firefighters encountered extreme heat as they began their fire attack, and thick black smoke rose into the sky. Heavy smoke and fire was visible traveling through the row of homes, as residents watched from across the street, assisted by police.

As fire companies were still arriving, the “C” wall of one of the buildings was already leaning outward, with heavy fire behind it. An order was given to back out of the original fire building, and later to get off of the roofs of the row. A fourth-alarm was struck by Deputy Chief Marc Franco.

During a multiple-alarm fire, units from the Jersey City Fire Department re-locate to North Hudson firehouses to cover the region. Around 5:30 P.M., Jersey City experienced what became a 3-alarm fire in a dwelling, with propane explosions reported, on Manning Avenue in the Bergen-Lafayette section of that city. As a result, companies that were part of the North Bergen 4th-alarm came from Hoboken and Kearny.

In North Bergen, numerous hand lines were placed into operation and Ladder 1's aerial ladder was maneuvered past overhead power lines, and a ladder pipe operation ensued. As some flames were darkened down, other flames broke out in the row, for a long and labor intensive operation.

During this time, mutual aid was invoked from fire departments in Essex and Union counties to cover firehouse, and answer numerous incidents, in both Jersey City and North Hudson. Union County fire companies were sent to Jersey City and Essex County companies assigned to North Hudson.

As the North Bergen fire was brought under control, and some companies released, Jersey City transmitted a full assignment, around 9:45 P.M., to a reported fire in a four-story OMD on Grand Street, downtown. Firefighters encountered fire in the walls on the top floor, extending, and threatening adjacent structures. A second-alarm was transmitted by Deputy Chief Paul Drennan, which included units from Elizabeth (Union County) operating at this scene. The fire was contained to the original fire building.

The Red Cross was on hand to assist ten families that were displaced.