Saturday, January 3, 2015

HOBOKEN RESIDENTS, RESTAURANT DISPLACED BY ELECTRICAL FIRE AT THE CEILING OF THE SECOND-FLOOR BATHROOM



Hoboken residents, restaurant displaced by electrical fire




January 02, 2015 at 4:36 PM, updated January 02, 2015 at 4:47 PM


HOBOKEN— Electrical complications likely sparked the three-alarm fire Thursday evening that displaced more than a dozen residents and a restaurant from a Willow Avenue building, authorities said. 


The blaze started in the ceiling of a second-floor bathroom at 918 Willow Avenue and spread to the other floors, said Hoboken fire Chief Richard Blohm. The building suffered extensive damage, and a water pipe broke at some point during response to the fire, he said.


Two firefighters received minor injuries—to the head and hand, respectively— and were treated and released from the hospital, he said. The fire is still under investigation. 

Sgt. Edgardo Cruz said the electrical fire was contained to inside the building. No residents were injured, but they were only allowed to re-enter the building on Friday for some personal belongings, he said. These residents are staying with family and friends. 


A representative for the building's owner, Roseland-based Garland Realty, said it's unclear when residents will be able to return to their homes. She said they will act quickly to repair the "tremendous amount of damage." She declined to discuss the incident further, but said she was happy that no one was seriously injured in the blaze.


D's Soul Full Cafe, located in the ground floor of the building, tweeted that the restaurant will likely be closed for two months.