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ONLY ON CVP: No serious injuries were reported after a pair of Palisades Park blazes destroyed three homes and severely damaged a business tonight.
A second-floor resident at a two-family house at 407 9th St.had gone to pick up a 6-year-old child when a fire broke out in the apartment just before 5:30 p.m., Police Chief Ben Ramos told CLIFFVIEW PILOT.
The first responders at the scene, Officers Mark Cieslak and Christopher Scilingo, found a sleeping downstairs tenant and brought him out in his pajamas. Neither they nor he were injured, Ramos said.
However, two firefighters stretching a line tumbled down a short set of steps while backing out after nearly being overcome by heavy smoke, sending one of them to the hospital with minor injuries, the chief said.
The second-floor fire quickly went to three alarms, blowing through the roof of the six-over-six duplex and causing a partial collapse, before it was brought under control.
Responding along with Palisades Park firefighters were a Leonia ladder truck, and engines from Ridgefield and Fort Lee. Englewood remained on standby.
Before that blaze was completely out, Traffic Officer Jason Juliano — a longtime borough mailman — spotted flames coming from the upstairs window of a mixed-use building on Broad Avenue in the downtown business district.
Borough firefighters were joined by a Cliffside Park ladder truck and engines from Fort Lee, Ridgefield and Ridgefield Park.
The apartment upstairs was destroyed by fire and the video store downstairs severely damaged by smoke and water, Ramos said.
No injuries were reported.
The causes of both blazes hadn’t immediately been determined, the chief said. Investigations were continuing.
PHOTOS by Chris Torello / CPT Fireground Photos
PHOTO: CLIFFVIEW PILOT Correspondent Damien Danis
CLIFFVIEW PILOT PHOTOS
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