WEEHAKWEN — A fire that began on 49th Street in Weehawken early Thursday evening around 5 p.m. spread to two adjacent homes and became a five-alarm blaze that took firefighters three hours to get under control.
North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue Co-Director Jeff Welz said that all residents were able to be evacuated without any injuries, and firemen also rescued three dogs from original damaged building.
As of press time, investigators were still on site looking into the cause of the fire.
Welz said the fire began at 26 49th St., which suffered severe damage to the entire building, and spread to two adjacent properties (28 49th St. and 22 49th St.), both of which suffered severe damage to the top of the buildings and the attic.
Fire companies from throughout Hudson County, including Jersey City, Harrison, and Kearny responded to the scene while Bayonne and Secaucus companies helped cover for those companies who had left to help in Weehawken.
At the peak of the fire, close to 100 firefighters and 25 apparatus vehicles were on the scene.
Welz said the heat index contributed to the need to have so many firefighters responding. According to Welz, many firefighters needed to be rehabilitated due to 1000 degree temperatures inside the building and 100 degree temperatures outside.
“It was very, very labor intensive firefighting,” said Welz.
Approximately a dozen firefighters were treated by EMS at the scene. Six of those were transferred to hospital for further evaluation.