WOODBRIDGE, NJ – An auto repair shop was gutted on Rahway Avenue after a raging fire ripped through the building, sending thick black smoke in the sky that could be seen for miles.
On Nov. 3, just before 3 p.m. the Woodbridge Fire Department was dispatched to Glasson's Auto Repair located at 744 Rahway Ave. for a structure fire.
Captain Dan Vitello found heavy fire blowing out the garage bay doors. The fire was so intense it was igniting parked vehicles in front of the building that were waiting to be repaired.
A water supply was established and exterior master streams were set up to conduct a defensive attack on the fire. The fire quickly consumed the entire building.
Several 2 ½-inch hand lines, a deck gun, and an elevated master stream were set up around the building to knock the heavy fire.
Firefighters were able to hold the fire to the original building.
The blaze was declared under control in approximately 90 minutes, but firefighters remained on scene for an extended time conducting overhaul.
Some sections of the building needed to be torn down in order for firefighters to gain access to remaining hot spots.
All of the employees were able to escape unharmed.
Mutual aid fire departments from Fords, Hopelawn, and Colonia were summoned to the scene to assist, while Perth Amboy Fire Department stood by at Woodbridge’s firehouse to cover the town during the incident.
Woodbridge Township and Avenel EMS provided rehabilitation and medical monitoring for firefighters at the scene.
The cause of the blaze appears to be from gasoline that ignited while a fuel pump was being repaired on a vehicle that was up on a lift inside the building.
