By Ron Leir
Observer correspondent
HARRISON —
Residents from five attached buildings on Warren Street in Harrison were evacuated from their homes Monday night, Feb. 25, after a fire ignited in the cockloft of 209 Warren St. and quickly spread to the adjoining structures, officials said.
No injuries were reported in the four-alarm blaze that started shortly after 7 p.m. and took several hours to quell.
Ultimately, occupants of 201, 203 and 211 Warren St. were allowed back in their apartments but 205, 207 and 209 Warren St. were tagged by Town Construction Official Rocco Russomanno as unfit for habitation because of damage to the properties.
Harrison Fire Director Harold Stahl characterized the cause of the fire as “accidental,” based on an investigation by Fire Official George Kondek.
Stahl said members of the Harrison Fire Department “did one fantastic job” containing the fast-spreading fire, with a big assist from firefighters from East Newark, Kearny and Jersey City. The Secaucus Volunteer Fire Department provided stand-by help at local firehouses.
Stahl also credited members of the Harrison Police Department with assisting firefighters with getting everyone safely out of their apartments as the fire began to escalate. He also thanked the Harrison Public Works Department for providing a shuttle bus to transport displaced residents to an emergency shelter at the Harrison Senior Center.
Be sure to check the March 6 edition of The Observer for more details on the fire.
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.