Monday, Jan. 21, Newark, N.J. firefighters were called to a working fire in a three story brick on Wright Street off of Broad Street. The fire which is believed to have started on the first floor quickly spread to all three floors and the fire eventually went to a third alarm. The fire also extended into a smaller three story building. Both buildings were occupied.
At one point, an interior stairwell collapsed, causing it to change to an all exterior attack. Besides numerous hand lines, several ground ladders, a tower ladder, a ladder pipe and deck gun were all set up to advance on this fire. Besides the stairwell, eventually, the roof collapsed in as well.
All residents but one were accounted for. Due to the unsafe condition of the building, a search was put off until Tuesday.
While the fire in the exposure building was quickly contained, the original fire building proved to be much more stubborn. It was several hours before this fire was declared under control. Firefighters continued to pour water on the building into the evening. The Bell and Siren Canteen responded for rehab. Due to the very cold weather, DPW had to be called to deal with the icy conditions.
