Bayonne Fire Dept. extinguishes three-alarm blaze, two firemen injured

BAYONNE – Bayonne firefighters put out a raging three-alarm fire at 667 Ave. E after two hours on Saturday, Feb. 27.
The fire spread to an adjacent building, and two firefighters were injured and taken to the hospital. Ten people were displaced from their homes.
“Arriving firefighters confronted a 2-1/2 story, frame dwelling with heavy fire and smoke pushing from the second and third floors, with fire traveling from the front exterior sheathing of the building and extending to the neighboring building to the south of it at 665 Avenue E,” said Fire Chief Gregory Rogers.
The fire call was received at 10:31 a.m.
Firefighters advanced fire hoses into the interior of the structure, but were forced back by the large volume of fire, according to Rogers. Exterior fire hoses and ladder trucks were used to control the massive fire that caused the collapse of the roof and an extension to the neighboring building.
Two firefighters were transported to Bayonne Medical Center, and were treated and released. One suffered an injury to the eye, and the other, minor burns to the wrist, neck, and ears.
The 667 Ave. E occupants evacuated when a passerby warned them that the building was on fire. Arriving police officers evacuated 665 Ave. E residents. Five occupants from each building were displaced by the fire and sought shelter with friends and family.
The original fire building, 667 Ave. E, suffered extensive fire damage to the second and third floors. The first floor also received varying degrees of fire, smoke, and water damage.
The neighboring structure, at 665 Ave. E, suffered extensive damage to the third floor, with a partial roof collapse. Additional fire, smoke, and water damage occurred on the first and second floors.
The fire is under investigation. The department investigator is focusing his inquiry on 667 Ave. E, in the front of the second floor, where the greatest amount of fire was witnessed early on.
The Bayonne Police, Emergency Medical Services, Bayonne Fire Canteen, Jersey City Fire Department, and Bayonne Building Department responded to the fire scene. The Kearny and North Hudson fire departments manned Bayonne fire stations.