Tariq zehawi/staff photographer
Firefighters on the scene of the Passaic fire on Wednesday, July 20, 2016.
By Stefanie Dazio
staff writer |
The Record
PASSAIC — An abandoned house on Lexington Avenue that has given city authorities headaches for months went up in flames Wednesday morning in what the fire chief said could be a suspicious blaze.
Fire Chief Patrick Trentacost ticked off his suspicions as about 80 firefighters battled the four-alarm fire: the building has sat abandoned at least since the winter; gas and electricity has been shut off to the 2½ story house “for some time,” and firefighters learned at the scene that flames had spread throughout the structure even before the department had been contacted, the chief said.
"It's a squirrel with a cigarette," he quipped. "There's no gas, there's no ignition."
Police and fire officials and the county prosecutor’s office are investigating the cause.
Trentacost said the building at 201 Lexington Ave. is owned by a bank, although he said he did not know the name of the bank. The house has been used both as a single-family residence and as a rooming house. There are overgrown weeds and bushes on the front lawn.
Neighbors called over the winter to report people going in and out of the house, and police and firefighters have kept an eye on it, Trentacost said.
tariq zehawi/staff photographer
Firefighters on the scene of the fire Wednesday, July 20, 2016.
"This building has been a nuisance for us over the winter with squatters," he said.
He said he doubts that anyone was in the building when the fire started. Firefighters found the front of the house boarded up on Wednesday but there was evidence people had been in and out of through a rear entrance.
“There's other ways into buildings,” he said.
Firefighters were called to the blaze at 8:40 a.m. and found flames extending to the second floor and attic. A stairwell had collapsed.
"It was very evident that this fire was well advanced," Trentacost said.
The chief called for a fourth alarm to get more firefighters because of the size and intensity of the fire and the day’s heat. Three firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion.
The fire was under control at 11:28 a.m., Trentacost said. The building likely will be razed.
The 80 firefighters on the scene were from departments in Passaic, Paterson, Clifton and Wallington.