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.