Monday, October 22, 2018
DOVER, New Jersey (WABC) --
A massive fire tore through buildings in the business district of a New Jersey town Monday afternoon, causing four of them to collapse.
Officials say the fire was placed under control by Monday evening, though firefighters were still putting water on hot spots.
The 7-alarm fire broke out at about 3:30 p.m. on the first floor of a three-story structure at 3 North Warren Street in Dover. It is believed to have started in the basement of a luncheonette, Barry's Luncheonette.
The building included stores on the first floor and apartments on the top two floors. The fire quickly spread to surrounding buildings.
Businesses and residents were evacuated, but officials say everyone made it out safely. Over 100 people were displaced and at least six businesses were destroyed.
No injuries have been reported.
Flames were shooting from the roof and smoke billowed into the air that could be seen from miles away.
"This is a major structure fire," said Dover Mayor James Dodd. "It's a very difficult fire that they're fighting now, the buildings are old. They're doing the best they can right now to bring the fire under control."
Investigators discovered the fire was being fed by natural gas, which was finally shut down hours later.
Units from towns throughout Morris County were called in for assistance in battling the blaze.
"It's very very difficult, it's very unfortunate," said Mayor Dodd. "It's devastating to the people that are losing their homes, that's our concern, and our local businesses, and we're going to do everything we can to help those people who were displaced."
Roads were closed off throughout the area. The fire also caused delays on New Jersey Transit's Morris and Essex Lines.
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NJ.com
At least two buildings collapsed as crews battled a massive, multi-alarm fire that destroyed several businesses in Dover's commercial district Monday.
Helicopter footage of the scene showed flames shooting through the roof of one building and thick smoke pouring from the blaze, near West Blackwell and Warren streets. Smoke continued to rise from the burned debris as of late Monday night, some five hours after initial reports of a fire.
Four buildings or portions of the structures collapsed, according to Dover Public Safety Director Daniel DeGroot.
Live video from the scene shared on Twitter captured one building collapse as authorities moved bystanders further away from the scene.
Multiple area fire departments worked to battle the flames as of 7:15 p.m, he said. There were no reported injuries.
The fire was initially reported around 3:30 p.m. as smoke in Barry's Luncheonette on North Warren Street, according to DeGroot.
"Please stay clear of the area until the fire has been contained and everyone is safe," Dover Mayor James P. Dodd said in a Facebook post shortly after 4 p.m.
Officials could not immediately provide more details. It was unclear how many people were displaced by the blaze. The damaged buildings appeared to include storefronts with apartments above.
A spokesman for the Morris County Prosecutor's Office said an investigation was underway, but could not provide more details.
The building that collapsed, prior to the massive 7-alarm fire