Melham Says 12-Alarm Fire Triggers New Jersey State Emergency

new jersey fire crews spent Sunday battling a 12-alarm warehouse blaze in Belleville after the first call came shortly after 2:30 p.m. from a cluster of buildings on Cortland Street near Joralemon Street in the Valley section. Belleville Mayor Michael Melham said the fire was already ripping through the warehouses when he arrived at the scene.

The fire prompted a state of emergency call, road closures and Monday school closures in Belleville. Officials said there were no injuries or deaths.

Melham on Cortland Street

Melham said the first trucks responded while he was in his office nearby. He said the blaze spread fast enough that it was quickly upgraded to a 12-alarm fire, with mutual aid coming from between 40 to 50 agencies.

“It was basically like trying to put a forest fire out with a garden hose,” Melham said at the scene after arriving near the fire.

Warehouses Near Joralemon Street

First responders believed the fire started at a mattress warehouse, then spread to surrounding buildings that were only feet apart. Melham said the warehouses were “a tinder box,” and he added, “We were dealing with a tinder box, because not only was there a mattress warehouse involved, that has fabric and foam in it, but adjacently, there was a cardboard warehouse.”

Giant plumes of black smoke filled the sky as strong winds carried embers blocks away and caused smaller fires. Water pressure in the area began to drop and then cut out as firefighters drew water to douse the flames.

PSE&G Service Cut

PSE&G cut gas and electric service to the area to help curb the fire, and the police department reported that its 911 system went down momentarily after the shutoff. That left the immediate area dealing with fire damage, utility disruptions and a public safety system interruption at the same time.

By Monday, local schools were closed because of the fire, and the focus in Belleville shifted from stopping the blaze to dealing with the damage left behind.