PATERSON POOCH'S PALS - 1967

patersonfirehistory.com

May 7, 1967 - Paterson Fire Department - Engine 3

GASOLINE ALLEY, BAYONNE

Image: Wikipedia

BLEVE at Constable Hook - July 1900

December 1960

In the 20th Century, the North Jersey waterfront at Bayonne was a gasoline alley prone to fires and explosions aboard ships, at piers and tank farms.

In 1872, John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil set up shop at the city's Constable Hook and expanded over the decades, adding to catastrophic risk.

After a 1911 blast, Fire and Water magazine, predecessor to Fire Engineering, noted "explosions at Constable Point are of frequent occurance, although every known precaution is taken to prevent such a disaster."

In other words, industrial progress comes at a cost. 

In one of the deadliest accidents, two tankers collided and burst into flames under the Bayonne Bridge along the Kill Van Kull waterway on June 16, 1966, ultimately claiming 33 lives from the ships as well as two tugs.

One of the vessels, the Alva Cape carrying 4.2 million gallons of the volatile petroleum product, suffered a breach. The New York City fire boat Alfred E. Smith moved in close and smothered gushing "lava-like naptha" with foam, averting a greater disaster, New York Mayor John Lindsey said.

Here's a sampling of other incidents:

On July 5, 1900, lightning struck the Standard Oil tanks at Constable Hook with flames roaring to "a height of 100 feet in immense bubbles that burst with a noise like that of wind-drive surf,'' the Democrat and Chronicle of Rochester, New York, reported. Today, firefighters refer to such fiery bubbles as a BLEVE -  boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion. Workers dug trenches to contain spills threatening homes.

On Aug. 9, 1929, an explosion aboard the William Rockefeller moored at Standard Oil's Pier 6 took one life and spewed burning oil across Kill Van Kull toward Staten Island, according to the United Press. "Lines were placed aboard the William Rockefeller and it was towed into midstream, where fireboats poured water into it," UP reported.

On May 8, 1930, at Pier 1 of the Gulf Refining Co., a tanker backing into Kill Van Kull backfired after taking on 800 gallons of gasoline. Flames spread ashore, setting off a fiery chain reaction. "Drums of gasoline piled two high exploded and in some instances were hurled a hundred feet in the air," Fire Engineering said. Tugs and fire boats - including New York's John Purroy Mitchell, Zophar Mills and William J. Gaynor - joined land forces from the Bayonne Fire Department and plant brigades.

An estimated 316,000 pounds of foam powder was shipped to Bayonne to fight the 1930 inferno and replenish supplies.

In 1945, Fire Engineering reported fumes from a 100,000 oil tank at Standard Oil's Bayonne Terminal ignited, and the top of the tank caved in "scattering burning oil over a 100-foot area," injuring firefighters and plant workers. Bayonne firefighter James Farrell, 54, suffered third-degree burns to his neck and shoulders, the magazine said.

On Dec. 28, 1960, a liquid propane tank exploded at the Sun Gas Products Corp. at Constable Hook. Firefighters turned back flames that spread within 50 feet of a huge oil tank, according to the Associated Press. "Police evacuated everybody from within a five-block radius of the explosion scene and cordoned it off," AP reported.

GREEN VERSUS RED

Photo: usfirepolice.net

"It's not easy being green," Kermit the Frog once said.

Newark and other American cities fielded safety lime and safety yellow fire apparatus to improve visibility and cut down on traffic accidents.

Scientists had determined human eyes are "most sensitive to greenish-yellow colors under dim conditions, making lime shades easiest to see in low lighting," according to the American Psychological Association.

However, later scientific studies determined "recognizing the vehicle was more important than paint color" the APA said. "If people in a particular community don't associate the color lime with fire trucks, then yellow-green vehicles may not actually be as conspicuous."

The trend has since shifted back to red, just like Kermit the Frog's Sesame Street neighbor - Elmo.

WOODBRIDGE RAIL DISASTER - 1951

Photo: gendisasters.com

On Feb. 6, 1951, a commuter train derailed at a temporary wooden trestle in Woodbridge, New Jersey, killing 86 people in one of the deadliest rail accidents in U.S. history. 

An estimated 500 were injured.

And yes, that was a "wooden trestle" in "Woodbridge."

"Volunteer firemen of New Jersey spearheaded the rescue effort," Fire Engineering magazine reported in its April 1, 1951 edition.

"As the magnitude of the tragedy became known, police broadcasts brought more and more rescue companies and emergency squads rolling in with needed lighting, cutting, forcible entry and other equipment, and personnel trained in emergency first aid work," the magazine said.

The Associated Press reported:

"The 11-car Pennsylvania Railroad train, The Broker, swerved wildly and jumped the tracks as it sped onto the midtown overpass. The cars, jack-knifing crazily, hurtled down a 20-foot embankment.

"The new, temporary overpass had been put into service only a few hours before the crash."

 AP also reported:

"Ambulances hurried to the scene from all over North Jersey. Blood plasma was sent from New York and Jersey City.

"A morgue was set up in a garage. Blood-splattered rescue workers tenderly placed the dead in long rows, then pulled brown sheets of paper over their still forms. The feet of the dead sprawled limp, uncovered by the paper shrouds.

"Acetylene torches sputtered beneath the eerie rays of big spotlights, the torches biting first this way and then that around trapped passengers.

"Small ladders were laid against the slime of the embankment. And other big fire department ladders also were moved up to get at the coaches. The dead and injured, pulled free, were placed on the stretchers and handed down the ladders."

PERTH AMBOY ASPHALT PLANT - 1949

Photo: Fire Engineering

Perth Amboy volunteer firefighters Lawrence Dambach, 52, and Howard Adams, 35, died when an asphalt tank exploded at the California Refining Company on June 23, 1949. A plant worker also died.

Eight people - including two other firefighters - were injured.

The blaze burned unchecked for five hours.

"Black, greasy smoke rose hundreds of feet into the air" and "was visible as far away as Manhattan, 25 miles to the north," the Associated Press reported.

"The first explosion let go at 2 p.m., and fire spread rapidly to adjoining stills and storage tanks," the AP said. "Then a 10,000 gallon asphalt tank blew 50 feet into the air, spewing its blazing contents."

Citing Second Assistant Fire Chief Alex Pietraska of Perth Amboy, the magazine Fire Engineering reported:

"When firemen arrived at the plant it looked as though a bomb had dropped on it. Hair and eyebrows were singed as the men hooked up lines and advanced through slime and melted tar to reach what appeared to be the center of the fire.

"Adams and Dumbach were on a foam nozzle, about five feet ahead of Howard Adam's brother, Harry. The Chief was about, five or ten feet behind Harry and both were lighting up the line for the men at the pipe.

"The first two men got in between two tanks which were described as steaming, spitting and whistling and they trained their stream on the center of the fire. Suddenly there was a whine like the noise associated with the dropping of a bomb.

"Chief Pietraska yelled to the men to get back, as it looked as if a tank was going to blow. As the chief and men began to run, there came a terrific blast, which caught the two nearest men. Howard Adams and Dumbach were thrown into a three-foot deep pit filled with molten asphalt and burned to death."

Dambach was the father of four and Adams had a 6-year-old son, the AP said.

HUDSON RIVER TUBE - 1942

Photos: PM newspaper

On April 26, 1942, a Hudson River tube train derailed at the Exchange Place station in Jersey City, killing five people and injuring more than 200 others, the United Press said.  [Click on image for finer details]

HALFWAY HOUSE, PATERSON - 2019

Photo: Straight & Narrow website

Photo: Straight & Narrow website

On Aug. 24, 2019, a five-alarm fire destroyed Paterson's largest halfway house. 

The blaze at Straight and Narrow, 410 Straight St., displaced 200 people but there were no injuries despite the intensity of the flames.

The smoke plume was visible for miles.

A statement issued by Straight and Narrow said:

"A small isolated blaze quickly turned into a five-alarm fire, sending plumes of black smoke into the air.

"Thank you to our working Straight and Narrow employees, who, when the alarm sounded, acted diligently and professionally. Our service recipients evacuated quickly and calmly, and none of our employees or clients were hurt."

The statement also said:

"It is times like these that our community comes together and we have many people to thank. We would especially like to acknowledge: 

"Paterson's brave firefighters, police officers and all first responders for their quick action which prevented an even worse disaster.  Special thanks to Fire Chief Brian McDermott, Police Director Jerry Speziale, and Police Chief Troy Oswald.

"The additional fire departments who bravely assisted including Boonton, Parsipanny, Bloomfield, Pompton Lakes, Fairfield, Wanaque, Wyckoff and West Milford."

Six Alarms in June

Earlier in the summer, on June 25, a six-alarm fire destroyed a row of homes on Summer Street in Paterson, Channel 7 Eyewitness News reported. Firefighters suffered heat exhaustion. "It really is very stewy out here, and it's taken down our firefighters," Fire Chief Brian McDermott said.

FRANKLIN LAKES - 1950s

Photo: Franklin Lakes Fire Department
Franklin Lakes firefighters testing flame retardant gear in 1950s.

METZLER'S - 1960s

Photos: patersonfirehistory.com

Metzler Ambulance Service provided emergency aid and transport in the City of Paterson in the 1960s. The Paterson Fire Department assumed responsibility in 1970.

ANARCHIST BOMBINGS - 1919

Paterson and other major American cities were the target of anarchist bombings in the spring of 1919. The bombers were said to be followers of Luigi Galleani, who settled in Paterson from his native Italy. The anarchist movement was aimed at overthrowing the U.S. government and Paterson was a hive of activity.   

HAMILTON MILLWORK - 1936

Photo: Paterson Fire History  [From Morning Call courtesy Dennis Morrison]

Hamilton Millwork
Oregon Avenue and Gray Street, Paterson 
Dec. 10, 1936
3rd alarm @ Box  555

PATERSON CARPET MILL - 1930

Photos: Fire Engineering

On Sept. 9, 1930, fire gutted the Lamond & Robertson Carpet Mill at 26 Branch Street in Paterson.

The city's entire fire force responded to the general alarm at Box 623, aided by crews from Prospect Park, Fairlawn, Wortendyke, Hawthorne, Haledon, West Paterson and Little Falls.

Several people were injured, among them Paterson firefighter Henry Donaldson of Engine Company 2, who suffered a cut to his left hand, according to newspaper reports.

Fire Engineering magazine reported:

"The blaze started in the jute storage room, and with the rapidity of an explosion, spread to other sections of the L-shaped brick building. The first alarm was turned in at 11:25 a.m. the second and third shortly afterwards, and the general alarm was sent at 11:40. As a safety measure, children in a public school three blocks distant were not permitted to leave for their luncheon recess.

"The Associated Piece Dyeing Works, which adjoined the carpet mill, was also damaged. Two hundred employees in the two plants hastily rushed to the street. Several persons were injured when they jumped to safety from the second floor. Two firemen were injured when caught by flying debris. There was considerable confusion, when due to the large dense clouds that spread over the city, rumors started that many were trapped by the fire. A check-up by the police revealed that all employees were out of the building.

"In addition to the damage to the two factories, flames spread to a frame building and destroyed it. The total damage has been roughly estimated at $500,000."

NEW MILFORD - 1943

2 FIREMEN  KILLED IN CRASH

New Milford, N.J., Nov. 29 - A fire engine, speeding to a brush fire which later burned itself out and an Interstate bus collided in the center of this community yesterday, killing two volunteer firemen and injuring several other persons including two women bus passengers.

The crew of the fire truck was scattered over the pavement in the collision, while the bus carried through a store window and came to a halt halfway inside the shop.

Police Chief HARRY L. JORDAN identified the dead firemen as battalion chief WILLIAM BLISS, 46, who died of his injuries at Holy Name hospital, Teaneck and PHILIP KERR, 50, whose head was crushed under one of the vehicles.

Gettysburg Times, Nov. 29, 1943

CITY OF PASSAIC - 1951

Photos: Fire Engineering

Four major fires struck the City of Passaic in the spring of 1951.

On April 19, a general alarm blaze gutted the roof and top floor of the five-story Tudor Court Apartment House, damaging or destroying almost 100 apartments and about a dozen businesses.

On May 4, a flash fire killed a mother and three children in a downtown tenement.

On June 4, a general alarm fire destroyed the Arrow Electric Company, two textile mills and three shops. Twenty-seven businesses suffered smoke or water.

Then, on June 11, a general alarm fire destroyed the downtown Silver Rod Cut Rate Drug Store, Vogue Millinery Shops and Rogers Clothing Company.

At the Arrow Electric conflagration, flames devoured "large stocks of phonograph records and a 1,200 gallon oil tank in the basement," according to the July 1, 1951 edition of Fire Engineering.

"After this, the fire spread through vertical openings to involve the first and then the second floor, where it fed on a quantity of cloth and barrels of dyes and chemicals."

"Heavy machinery on the second floor caused it to collapse, as did the roof of the building."

The building didn't have automatic sprinklers.

At the height of the fire, more than 20 lines were playing on the flames.

"One wall of the Arrow building bulged out about a foot, and cracked badly enough to cause men and equipment to be moved," Fire Engineering said.

"The wind, though gentle, changed direction frequently from east to west and added to the firemen’s woes, as dense smoke rolled through the streets for blocks."

Arrow Electric response:

• First Alarm @ 3:13 p.m. via street box: Engine 1, Engine 3, Truck 1, Emergency Squad
• Second Alarm @ 3:16 p.m.: Engine 6

MARCAL PAPER - 2019

UPDATED AUG. 19, 2019

Photo: Elmwood Park Fire Department

Photo: New Jersey 101.5

Track of smoke on weather radar 

On Jan. 30, 2019, flames leveled the Marcal Paper Company mill in Elmwood Park, New Jersey, toppling its landmark neon sign. Winds and bitter cold hindered firefighting operations and showered brands on neighboring blocks. Fire departments from across North Jersey provided mutual aid. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy described the blaze as "an extraordinary calamity," adding "thank God no injuries."

_____


PRESS RELEASE - June 7, 2019

Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the results of the investigation into the fire at the Marcal Paper Company, 1 Market Street, Elmwood Park, NJ, which occurred on Thursday January 31, 2019. The investigation was conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Robert Anzilotti, the Elmwood Park Police Department under the direction of Chief Michael Foligno, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, National Response Team.

The fire destroyed 31 of the 36 buildings located in the Marcal Paper Company Complex. The investigation was a large undertaking, which included experts in the origin and cause of fire, interviewing, and technical experts in varying aspects of building construction. The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office requested the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, National Response Team, to assist with the investigation, specifically the cause and origin of the fire.

The location of the fire’s origin was determined to be in the northeastern most building on the southern side of the railroad tracks, known as building #41. The fire started in the storage area of section PM2, which stored large roles of paper used to make paper products for the company. Although the location of the origin of the fire was determined, the investigators were unable to determine the exact cause of the fire due to the extensive damage.

In addition to the scene investigation, investigators conducted over one hundred interviews of Marcal Paper employees, outside workers, neighbors and witnesses prior to the fire, as well as witnesses that observed different stages of the fire. The Marcal Paper Company fully cooperated with law enforcement in the investigation.

There is presently no indication that the fire was intentionally set. The cause of the fire cannot be determined at this time, and it will be classified as undetermined, pending further information.

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PUBLIC NOTICE - Feb. 1, 2019

Dear Elmwood Park Residents:

Please be advised that since shortly after the fire began, the NJ Department of Environmental Protection in conjunction with the Bergen County Health Department were notified and sent representatives to the fire scene to conduct monitoring and testing for hazardous materials.

Air quality monitoring was and is currently being conducted around the site and in the surrounding residential neighborhood.

At no time have there been any readings above any level of concern regarding air quality.

We recommend that residents keep their windows closed as potential flare ups may cause smoke to migrate off-site towards the residential area.

Updates will be provided if needed or if the situation changes.

Sincerely,
Michael Foligno
Chief of Police
Borough Administrator

_____


COMPANY STATEMENT - Feb. 4, 2019

On behalf of Marcal, our associates and management, we wanted to express our deepest appreciation for the outpouring of support we have received from the community. This has lifted and encouraged our spirits throughout this tragic event more than you will ever know. 

We also extend our most sincere thanks and admiration to all the hard-working firefighters and first responders—the men and women who have been working tirelessly at the site of our mill since Wednesday night—despite bitterly cold temperatures and life threatening conditions. 

Given the ongoing response work, we have not yet been able to access the site to truly understand the full magnitude of destruction—or what our future path forward might be for our company. 

While we remain hopeful, your continued support is dearly needed, now more than ever. If you would like to continue to show us your support, please use and ask for our Marcal Pro line of professional paper products in your restaurants, hotels, hospitals, schools and businesses. These products are still being produced by Marcal, in our remaining Northeast facility, and will be critical to the future survival and rebuilding of our iconic brand and company. 

Meanwhile, we’re hard at work fostering employee needs and getting our teams back to work as quickly as possible. With that in mind, we’ve made arrangements with a local recruiting company that is offering assistance with placement. 

ST. BONAVENTURE LYCEUM - 1934

Photo: patersonfirehistory.com

On May 7, 1934, Paterson firefighters John O'Neill of Engine 9 and Allen Saal of Truck 3 were fatally injured at a fire at the St. Bonaventure Lyceum and parish hall.

"Collapsing walls of the two and a half story brick structure caused all of the injuries," the Paterson Evening News reported. "When they fell they swept firemen from their ladders burying them and their companies on the ground under debris."

Eight other men were hurt, with ​John Murphy, the chief's driver, and John Colligan, a police patrolman, suffering serious injuries.

"Three ambulances, taxicabs and private automobiles carried the injured firemen to hospitals," the Evening News said.

O'Neill died May 8 at St. Joseph's Hospital from a fractured skull and internal injuries. Saal died May 9 at the Paterson General Hospital of internal injuries.

The fire at Box 413 - at Carlisle Avenue and Ramsey Street - went to three alarms.

HOTEL MANHATTAN, PATERSON

Jan. 22, 1938 blaze at Hotel Manhattan.
Photo: patersonfirehistory.com 

Major fires struck Paterson's Hotel Manhattan on three occasions, one of which resulted it the death of a firefighter.

On May 24, 1920, firefighters used life nets to catch guests leaping from the hotel after a blaze broke out in its laundry room.

Several people were injured, including Firefighter William Smith who ``suffered a severe laceration when he fell 50 feet from a ladder after he had carried a woman and a man to safety,'' according to The New York Times said.

Box 14 at 237-243 Market Street was struck at 2:50 a.m. and went to three alarms.

On March 31, 1931 and again on Jan. 22, 1938, the hotel was the scene of three-alarm  fires,  according to patersonfirehistory.com.

At the 1931 blaze, David Johnstone, engineer of Engine 8, was uncoupling hose when a car plowed through fire lines and struck him down, according to the Paterson Evening News.

The driver, Anthony DeStefano, was charged with reckless driving and atrocious assault.

Johnstone died April 2 at the Paterson General Hospital.

Four other firefighters - Andrew Swords and Edward Heintzeman of Engine 6, Edward Christensen and John Hill of Engine 9 - were overcome by smoke at the 1931 fire, according to the Paterson Morning Call.

LODI CHEMICAL ALLEY - 1995

Explosion at Napp Technologies in Lodi  April 21, 1995 

Mallinckrodt Chemical Works, Aug. 14, 1973 

Excerpt from The New York Times, April 22, 1995

LODI, N.J., April 21— An old chemical plant in the heart of downtown Lodi exploded and burned this morning, killing four workers, injuring eight others, forcing the evacuation of nearby homes and sending a dense plume of toxic black smoke over much of western Bergen County.

The blast at Napp Technologies, which had a history of environmental violations and workplace accidents, was described as an industrial accident, apparently tied to a malfunctioning mixing vat for chemicals. Residents were urged today to keep their windows closed, and their children and pets off the street in case smoke from the plant was dangerous.

Over the last 25 years, many said, there have been several explosions, some minor and some major, that have rocked the block-long row of factories that have housed several chemical companies. One accident in 1973 at the Mallinckrodt Chemical Company killed seven workers.

"How do they let these chemical companies stay right in the middle of town?" asked Linda Tedesco, who lives near Napp Technologies.

PATERSON - 20TH CENTURY

On Oct. 21, 1963, an explosion leveled Franklin Finishing, a textile dye house at 178 Keen St.

On March 12, 1938, five Paterson firemen died at a general alarm fire at the Quackenbush Co. department store warehouse - greatest tragedy in the fire department's history.

On Sept. 3, 1953, fire crews contended with a three-alarm blaze at 80 Pennington Street

Assorted 20th Century incidents in Paterson, both major and minor:

• On March 29, 1901, fire destroyed the offices of the Daily Guardian newspaper at Broadway and Washington Street. ``The Guardian did not miss publication,'' as the rival Morning Call lent its presses, according to The New York Times. Both papers are now defunct. Acting Assistant Fire Chief Sweeney and Fireman Peter Shane were injured at the blazes. Sweeney sprained his ankle in a fall and Shane was overcome by smoke and tumbled from a ladder, The Times said.
• On June 21, 1901, fireworks exploded in a shop and tenement at 440 Main St., killing 17 people.
• On Feb. 9, 1902, The Great Fire of Paterson swept the city's business district. The flames, which broke out at a trolley barn, were fed by the wind.
• On April 1903, fire destroyed tenements at 919, 921, 923, and 925 Main Street, The New York Times said.
• On July 11, 1909, ``All the fire engines of the city but one were at work fighting a fire on River Street, in the heart of the business district, this afternoon, when a false alarm drew the remaining engine across the river,'' The New York Times said. ``Immediately came an alarm for a fire in the southern section of the city.''
• On March 18, 1911, fire destroyed the Folly Theatre ``soon after the matinee audience had dispersed,'' The New York Times said. ``Pat White and His Gaiety Burlesquers were playing a three-day engagement at the house, and all their costumes and other properties were burned.''
• On Dec. 15, 1912, ``a fire started in some of the flimsy Christmas stuff which filled the J.S. Diskon Department Store, at the northwest corner of Main and Van Houten Streets,'' according to The New York Times said.
• On Jan. 16, 1914, fire destroyed the Paterson Opera House. 
• On Dec. 22. 1915, ``Eight persons, five of them women, were rescued from the fourth story in a $30,000 fire in a store and tenement house,'' The New York Times said. ``One woman, Mrs. Abram Smith, became hysterical and jumped to the third story roof of an adjoining building and suffered several minor bruises.''
• On June 6, 1927, ``Thirty patients, all men, of St. Joseph's Hospital were carried tonight by seven policemen and twelve citizens from the west wing of the building while firemen called by two alarms extinguished a fire in the wall of the basement below,'' The New York Times said.
• On June 23, 1930, eight workers suffered burns in a benzine explosion at the Paterson Fur Dressing Co. at 196 Madison St., according to The New York Times.
• On Sept. 9, 1930 - Fire destroyed the Lamond Robertson Carpet Mill on East Fifth Street.
• On Dec. 10, 1934, fire swept the St. Bonaventure Monastery on Ramsey Street. Firefighters used ladders to rescue three friars from the roof, The New York Times said. Box 413 was sounded at 1:37 p.m. and went to four alarms.
• On Nov. 10, 1936 - Paterson police arrested a 26-year-old unemployed waiter after ``five fires in the early morning and nineteen others, one of which caused the death of a man, had terrorized part of this city since last May,'' The New York Times said.
• On Dec. 23, 1937, heavy smoke poured from a basement fire and routed shoppers at the Silver Rod Drug Store, 133 Main St., The New York Times said.
• On Feb. 17, 1949, ``Seventeen persons were felled today by chlorine gas in the Young Men's and Young Women's Hebrew Association building,'' The New York Times said. ``Police said a pipe connection came loose while workmen were removing the chlorination system, used to purify water in the swimming pool.''
• On March 22, 1952, four children died in a fire at 27-29 Peach St. Fire Chief G. Hobart Strathearn said youngsters playing with matches apparently started the fire, The New York Times said.
• On Feb. 18, 1960, a private plane crashed on the front lawn of a house, killing two persons ``as gale winds and a blinding downpour of rain and snow'' lashed the region, The New York Times said.
• On March 11, 1962, a pregnant woman ``clung to a third-floor tenement window'' to escape a fire and ``plunged to the pavement seconds before a rescue ladder could reach her,'' The New York Times said. She survived the fall as did her fetus.
• May 18, 1963, ``Three prisoners in a cell block in the Paterson police headquarters died of smoke poisoning in a fire early today,'' The New York Times said. ``Thirteen other persons, including two firemen, were overcome and required hospital treatment.''
• On Oct. 21, 1963, explosions demolished Franklin Finishing Co., a textile dyeing factory, and damaged nearby homes. Box 656 for 178 Keen Street was transmitted at 12:33 p.m. and went to a general alarm.
• Aug. 14, 1964, rioting erupted, and police and firefighters contended with rioters hurling fire bombs and debris. Paterson Mayor Frank Graves warned that he would "meet force with force."
• On May 14-15, 1965, a general alarm fire burned out of control in a neighborhood of homes and factories. Box 268, at 256 Marshall Street, was sounded at 10:33 p.m.
• On Oct. 22, 1966, fire destroyed seven stores in downtown Paterson and damaged several others at 190-194 Market St. and 1-11 Clark St. Box 145 was transmitted at 2:45 a.m. and went to four alarms.
• On Oct. 27, 1966, construction worker Robert Penn, 44, rescued six people from a burning building, leaped from a third floor window - and caught his wife after she jumped, according to United Press International.
• In June and July 1968, rioting broke out.
• On Dec., 10, 1968, an arson fire killed six people at the Midtown Hotel on Park Avenue.
• In, October 1971, the city was the scene of another outbreak of rioting.
• On Aug. 2, 1977, a stainless-steel vat exploded at a dye house, killing three workers and injuring about a dozen more.
• On April 29, 1978, the Fulton Street Fire - a general alarm at Box 151 - devoured mills and adjacent buildings as well as three fire department vehicles - Engine 2, Engine 5 and Battalion 2. Hundreds of firefighters from across North Jersey provided mutual aid.
• On July 4, 1978, fire swept five downtown apartment buildings, injuring three residents and three firefighters and leaving 40 families homeless, The New York Times said.
• On Feb. 8, 1980, fire destroyed police headquarters.
• In February 1980, the city was plagued by the ``arson alley'' fatal fires.
• On Oct. 15, 1981 an arson fire killed eight people at an apartment building at 89 Park Ave.
• On Oct. 18, 1984, a general fire at the Alexander Hamilton Hotel and killed 15 people. The fire was set by a resident.
• On Oct. 8, 1985, a three-alarm fire broke out at the Kirker Chemical Co. in the city's Riverside district and forced the evacuation of 200 residents.
• On Jan. 17, 1991, a general alarm fire broke out at 161 Main Street - the building that once housed the Meyer Brothers department store - and spread to about a dozen other businesses. The conflagration claimed the life of a Paterson firefighter. The body of John A. Nicosia, 28, a member of Engine 4, was recovered two days later. (For a complete list of Paterson firefighters lost in the line of duty, see the article entitled "Last Alarm.")
• On Oct. 20, 1997, a tractor-trailer loaded with chemicals caught fire on I-80 in Paterson ``sending rocketlike bursts of flame and a cloud of gray smoke into the air and creating a 10-mile traffic jam,'' according to The New York Times.
• On Oct. 29, 2000, winds turned a house fire into a conflagration - destroying three dwellings, damaging six others and leaving 55 people homeless, The New York Times said. The general alarm fire started at about 2:05 p.m. in a two-and-a-half-story wood-frame row house at 559 Main Street, Battalion Chief Edward McLaughlin told The Times.

HINCHCLIFFE BREWERY - 1904

Photo: patersonfirehistory.com

On Jan. 15, 1904, Paterson firefighter Harry Kelley of Engine Co. 7 was fatally injured when a pinewood ladder snapped at a general alarm fire at the Hinchcliffe Brewery.

Captain James O'Neill, who was also on the ladder, suffered injuries.

Box 18 at Straight and Governor streets was transmitted just after 7 a.m. after flames broke out near an elevator of the the fifth floor of the building.

The initial alarm brought horse-drawn Engines 3, 6 and 1 and Truck 3, with the horses struggling to over ice-covered streets to reach the blaze.  

The general alarm was a sounded after a roof-top tower holding thousand of  barrels of grain collapsed.

Engine 7, which was usually held in reserve in the south of the city, was added to the call, bring all of the city's fire apparatus to the blaze.

Kelley and O'Neill were manning a ladder pipe aimed at the fourth floor when they met their fate, falling 60 to 70 feet.

For full details, visit patersonfirehistory.com

KENVIL - 1940

On Sept. 12, 1940, in the buildup to World War Two, an explosion ripped through the Hercules Company munitions plant in Kenvil, Morris County, killing 51 workers and injuring 200 others.

The cause remains a mystery. Sabotage was suspected.

Kenvil, N. J., Sept. 13 (United Press) -- The death toll in the Hercules Powder Company disaster rose steadily today as eight separate agencies sought evidence of sabotage in connection with the explosion and fire which one rescue official said may have taken nearly 100 lives.

By noon 35 bodies, five of them unidentified, had been extricated from the still-smoldering ruins of what had been, up to 1:30 P. M. yesterday, one of the most productive munitions plants in the country.

Sheriff Henry Sperling of Morris County emerged from the plant grounds after a visit of inspection, gestured at the scene of devastation and remarked: "There must be 60 more in there."

W. C. Hunt, operations director of the company, was more conservative, however. He said "probably four or five" more bodies still were buried in the wreckage. The damage was estimated at $1,000,000.

The Army and Navy Intelligence Services, the Hercules Company, state police, the Dies committee, local police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Jersey Legislature were conducting or preparing to start investigations.

More than 200 men were searching for bodies, aided by a steam shovel. In two nearby hospitals 83 persons, some near death, still were receiving treatment.

The whole smokeless powder section of the plant, where work was being speeded on a $2,000,000 Government defense order, was leveled to the ground. A dynamite-making unit escaped damage, however, and the morning shift of workers filed back to the grounds. Casualties had decimated the plant's force of 1,200 employes, but the survivors were all put to work, making dynamite, clearing debris and hunting for bodies.

The scene was swarming with investigators representing the Army and Navy Intelligence services, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Dies committee investigating un-American activities, the New Jersey Legislature and police. Some of the secret agents had come by taxicab from as far as Virginia.

A search of the ruins was delayed by smoldering fires, which had burned fitfully all night, accompanied by puffs of alcohol vapors. Over more than half a square mile hot stones and bricks and molten steel lay in heaps.

Awaiting an opportunity to get onto the grounds, investigators questioned surviving workers, some of whom said that several employees of the Hercules and the Picatinny Army arsenal at Dover, nearby, had been discharged recently as the aftermath of a joint Ku Klux Klan "German" American bund meeting at the bund's Camp Nordland, 10 miles from here.

The workers said that FBI men had watched the meeting and had noticed several cars bearing the small identification plates issued to munitions plant workers, entering the Bund camp. A check-up of those identification plates led to the dismissals, according to the workers.

List of the dead:

EDWARD E. ALLEN, 20, Budd Lake.
JOHN T. ANDICO, 27, Netcong.
HARRY BACK, 29, Patchogue, Long Island.
HAROLD BAKER, 28, Dover.
JOSEPH F. BARNISH, Dover.
JESSE BENNETT, 67, Dover.
W. G. BLACK, 32, Flanders.
JAMES BRADY.
STUART T. CARROLL, 26, Morristown.
ARTHUR L. CLARK.
ALBERT COCKING, 33, Kenvil.
RAYMOND L. CORBY, 50, Rockway.
WILEY DEJONG, 35, Mendham.
EVART DUNN, Kenvil.
EDWARD M EXTROM, Kenvil.
REUBEN FANCHER, 22, Succasunna.
NATALINE J. FERRAINOLA, 26, Port Morris.
RALPH A. GRANATO, 22, Port Morris.
ELIJAH A. GREER, 20, Andrews, North Carolina.
JOHN B. GRIFFITH, 20, Budd Lake.
RAYMOND GULICK, 32, Wharton.
WILLIAM LEMAR HALKYARD, 40, Catawissa, Pennsylvania.
PETER KNOTT, 27, Kenvil.
JAMES G. LIST, 34, Kenvil.
FREDERICK M. McCONNELL, 20, Kenvil.
CHARLES RAYMOND MOORE, 44, Landing.
CHARLES L. MOSSER, 45, Pequannock.
WAYNE L. NIELSEN, 26, Ferndale, Michigan.
ROBERT NOLAN, 64, Kenvil.
H. E. OPDYKE, 48, Netcong.
RUBEN PARKER, 51, Dover.
EDWARD H. PAYNE, 20, Randolph.
NICHOLAS D. PISANO, 23, Netcong.
WILLIAM C. QUACKENBUSH, 18, Kenvil.
HARRY JAMES REED, 22, Kenvil.
JOHN SAVKO, 20, Mt. Hope.
RICHARD SCOTT, 25, Dover.
WALTER SISCO, 31, Branchville.
JACK W. SMITH, 18, Shonghum.
LOUIS SMITH.
RUSSELL SOSSONG, 28, Ledgewood.
PAUL STALCUP, 33, Mr. Arlington.
WILLIAM HENRY STEPHENS, Succasunna.
ALVIN STOUT, West Belmar.
CHARLES SWAN, Kenvil.
CHARLES TICE, 47, Mine Hill.
G. E. TOBLER, 27, Bartley.
WARREN WALDRON, Mt. Arlington.
RAYMOND A. WOODS, 18, Kenvil.

WOLF MUSLIN, NEWARK - 1910

 

On Nov. 26, 1910, a deadly fire engulfed a factory at Orange and High streets in Newark, illustrating the hazards of lax building codes and inadequate safety standards.

Six girls burned to death and 19 others plunged to their deaths from the windows of the Wolf Muslin Undergarment Company on the fourth floor, the fire having started on the floor below.

The quarters of Engine Company 4 were located across the street, however, the firemen were pushed back by the speed and intensity of the flames as the aged factory's floors were saturated with oil.

"From every window all over the building a stream of women began to fall through the air," The New York Times reported. "A few let themselves down from the window sills and hung for a second or two before they let go.  Others sprang out hand in hand with companions."

Newark's disaster was a prelude to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City the following March that claimed the lives of 146 garment workers - and led to industrial reforms.