ELIZABETH, NJ - Elizabeth closed out the year with a busy month of December just before 3:00 P.M. on the afternoon of December 30, 2023. Tour 4 responded to the first of two multiple-alarm fires during their shift. A Signal 411 was transmitted for heavy smoke in the area of Third St. and Livingston St. First arriving companies found the source of the fire to be a single-story ordinary commercial property on the 100 block of Third St., and a working fire was confirmed.

Units forced entry into the building and heavy smoke was found throughout the structure. DC arrived on scene and struck a second-alarm. Minutes after the second-alarm, the IC evacuated the building due to deteriorating conditions. Operations were ordered to go defensive and multiple collapses of the fire building occurred.
Companies operated throughout the night extinguishing hot spots. The fire was held to the building of origin and no injuries were reported.

Fire & EMS mutual aid from surrounding municipalities were brought in to respond to additional emergencies during the extended operations. The building was a former Post Office. On March 5, 1959 it was a grocery store which sustained heavy damage in a fire.