Three Weehawken houses succumb to blaze
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.
Weekenders plan two trips for September
The Weehawken Weekenders, a local group that organizes trips for local residents, has two September trips planned.
On Sept.15, the group will head to Ace in the Hole’s San Gennaro celebration. Live entertainment, a delicious luncheon, transportation, and all gratuities are included for a day at the Royal Manor. Ticket price is $45 per person.
On Sept. 18, they will take a trip the Sands Casino in Bethlehem, Pa. The ticket price of $35 per person includes all transportation and gratuities plus optional comps provided by casino.
The Weekenders are also planning their next cruise which will be to the Caribbean in 2012. The cruise will depart from Bayonne for nine nights aboard Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Sea on May 12, 2011. Many reservations have already been taken for this trip, but space and many different cabin categories are still available.
For further details, please call the Weekenders Office at (201) 319-6060.
Stack denounces jitney bus inspection process
Last week, State Sen. and Union City Mayor Brian Stack responded to recent media stories, including one published two weeks ago in The Reporter, about the operation and inspection of jitneys or “mini-buses” in the area.
In a released statement, Stack said he “wholeheartedly” disagrees with the method in which the mini-buses were recently inspected in Hudson County, and called the nature of the inspections “discriminatory” because New Jersey Transit buses are not subject to the same surprise inspections by law enforcement agencies.
“The purpose of inspections should be to offer an opportunity to correct unsafe driving conditions by alerting vehicle operators to needed repairs,” said Stack. He added that he hopes to examine the potential for legislation that protects both riders and the industry.
It’s an industry, according to Stack, which has become “absolutely necessary in regions where a high volume of residents travel by way of mass transportation” because New Jersey Transit has failed to provide adequate service to commuters.
United Water raising rates
Last week United Water officials announced that certain Hudson County communities, including North Bergen, Guttenberg, Weehawken, Union City, West New York, and Secaucus, will see their monthly water bills increase from $38.57 to $41.76.
According to published reports, the increases are due to nearly $81 million in new water system improvements, which included the Haworth Water Treatment Plant upgrade. United Water provides water for about 200,000 customers in Bergen, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Passaic and Sussex Counties.
NHCAC hosts free health fair for community
To help celebrate National Health Center Week, North Hudson Community Action Corporation will hold its annual summer free health fair on Aug. 14 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event will be held at NHCAC’s site in West New York, 53rd Street and Broadway.
Free medical screenings for dental, blood pressure, diabetes, skin cancer and obesity will be available. There will also be music, games, back-to-school supplies and raffles, as well as free face painting and tattooing for children.
For more information call (201) 210-0100 or visit www.nhcac.org.
Nearby Walgreens stores raise ‘lemonade’ money for cancer
In an effort to join the battle against childhood cancer, Walgreens Districts in Northern New Jersey, including a location in Union City at 3333 Park Ave. (across the Union City-Weehawken border), will host Alex’s Lemonade Stand Day on Aug. 14 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The locations will compete to see who can raise the most money and draw the most attention to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF), which emerged from the front yard lemonade stand of cancer patient Alexandra “Alex” Scott (1996-2004).
2010 marks 10 years since 4-year-old Alex announced that she wanted to hold a lemonade stand to raise money to help find a cure for all children with cancer. Since Alex held that first stand, the Foundation bearing her name has evolved into a national fundraising movement.
The funds raised at the lemonade stands will be split 50/50 between Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation and the family of Will Lemacher, a Walgreens Store Manager in Florham Park, NJ who lost his 5-year old son to leukemia in July. The family is now behind on their mortgage, medical, and other bills.
For more information about ALSF, visit www.alexslemonade.org.