Hasbrouck Heights regroups

Sunday, December 12, 1999

By PAULO LIMA
Staff Writer

HASBROUCK HEIGHTS -- Still reeling from the deadly plane crash that exploded in a back yard Thursday, local government workers were left homeless after a Friday night fire that ravaged the Municipal Building.

A six-alarm fire burned out of control for about five hours, destroying the nearly 50-year-old building that housed the town's government, police, and Fire Department headquarters. No one was injured in the blaze.

More than 100 firefighters from 19 towns battled the wind-whipped flames, preventing it from spreading to adjacent homes. The fire, which started in the Borough Council chambers on the second floor, was finally extinguished about 6 a.m. Its cause had not been determined Saturday, but police and fire officials said it does not appear suspicious.

Faced with the momentous task of relocating the entire government, Mayor William Torre said the town will persevere.

"It's been a tough few days, but we're a tough breed," he told reporters Saturday as he stood before the burned-out structure, which is about six blocks from the site of Thursday's plane crash, which left four people dead. "Everybody just shone through it and we're stronger for it."

Later, the stress was evident on the faces of many volunteer firefighters as they held hands around the flagpole in front of the building and counted their blessings in the face of two consecutive days of tragedy. Gazing at the charred ruins of their headquarters, many of the men embraced and wept openly.

"This is our house," said Fire Chief Vincent Monahan. "This is our heart and soul."

The past few days have clearly taken their toll on the firefighters, physically and emotionally.

"It's been a long night -- a long couple days," sighed Assistant Chief Artie Knobloch.

As colleagues gathered around the flagpole in prayer, Knobloch's frayed emotions showed. He raised a sooty, gloved hand to his mouth as tears streamed down his face.

Monahan praised his colleagues for enduring the hardship, breaking down only after the job was done.

"You won't find a prouder chief than me," Monahan said. "They've been through things that most people will never see. You see a 50-foot ball of fire right in the middle of four houses, right next to a swing set . . . "

Monahan, along with a handful of other firefighters and town rescue workers were inside the building when the fire broke out about 11:30 p.m. Friday. The group was meeting to critique the town's emergency response to the plane crash about 29 hours earlier.

One of the firefighters looked out the window and saw flames pouring from the second-floor window of the Borough Council chambers, which also serves as the municipal courtroom.

Firefighters hustled downstairs to pull six firetrucks and ambulances from the garage. They were soon joined by about 125 firefighters from all over southern Bergen County, Monahan said.

Winds howled at more than 20 mph, blowing smoke throughout the neighborhood and fueling the hungry flames.

"The wind made it three times worse than it should have been," Monahan said.

Bill Swiston, a firefighter from Wallington, said of the flames " went through the building like a speeding car on a racetrack."

The blaze was under control by 4 a.m., but firefighters had to extinguish a flare-up about two hours later, Monahan said.

Torre said the borough's building inspector will determine whether to condemn the structure, which appears likely. The borough is completely protected by insurance, Torre said. In the meantime, the town has already made arrangements to keep functioning and continue providing services to residents.

Borough employees will be working out of a building across Hamilton Street, in a gym that once belonged to the Franklin School. Telephone lines have already been set up to allow residents to get in touch with some vital offices: the Borough Administrator, Borough Clerk, Board of Health, Building Department, and the Tax Office.

Officials are looking for long-term temporary office space and Torre said the borough is considering two sites on the Boulevard. In the likely event that the old building must be demolished, Torre said he did not know if a new permanent borough hall would be built on the same site.

Borough Council meetings will be held at a nearby Masonic hall, said Torre, who added: "Government is about people, not about buildings."

Firefighters were able to save all of the town's vital records, including court, tax, and police records, Torre said. Some of the papers sustained water damage, but the borough has contacted a company that specializes in restoring water-damaged documents. Records kept on computer also were salvaged, Torre said, adding that some old Building Department and tax records and historical documents that were stored in an attic were destroyed in the blaze. Residents' health statistics dating from 1900 were on microfiche off-site, he said.

As day broke Saturday, the awesome damage became evident to the crowds of residents who showed up to see it.

Most of the Municipal Building's roof was burned away, making it resemble a two-dimensional Hollywood set.

Inside, firefighters rifled through blackened debris, tossing out everything from papers to chairs and file cabinets. Some employees clutched mementos rescued from the rubble. Marilyn de Russy, the municipal registrar, asked a Public Works employee to retrieve a special clock from her desk.

"It was a gift from my husband on my birthday," she said.

Other than the firefighters who were meeting, the building was empty except for police officers and dispatchers. The police hastily abandoned their headquarters and temporarily forwarded calls to neighboring Wood-Ridge, said Police Chief Mike Colaneri.

By morning, the department, which has 28 officers, had established a temporary base in the Bergen County Police Department's mobile command center. The trailer is parked across the street from borough hall and is equipped to receive telephone calls, Colaneri said. There was some light fire damage to police equipment.

The borough's Fire Department, with 47 volunteers, was taken out of service until 8 a.m. today , when it will resume operations from the driveway of the Municipal Building. Firefighters were able to remove their equipment before the flames spread.

"The only reason I'm taking them out of service is because my guys need to be away from all of this," Monahan said.

Municipal court sessions will be held in Wood-Ridge until other arrangements can be made, said Torre.

Police were making arrangements to get their own trailer. They also will set up office space in the Franklin School gym, which now houses a basketball court and weight room where officers work out, Colaneri said.

"Right now, we're just trying to get by," Colaneri said.