A 6-alarm fire at a building in Harrison has sent several firefighters to the hospital, displaced several families and forced the annual West Hudson St. Patrick's Day parade to be re-routed

Building fire at Frank E. Rodgers Boulevard and Davis Street in Harrison
Building fire at Frank E. Rodgers Boulevard and Davis Street in Harrison (Jersey Shore Hurricane News via Facebook)
loading...

The two-story building at  Frank E. Rodgers Boulevard and Davis Street in Harrison exploded around noon reports the Star- Ledger. Thick black smoke and flames began pouring from the building as the fire grew to fire alarms.

The fire was brought under control around 4:45 p.m. according to WCBS TV.

 

The New Jersey Red Cross tells WNBC TV they are assisting 17 families displaced by the fire, which may have started in the kitchen of a restaurant on the lower level.

The roof partially collapsed on the building and damaged several neighboring buildings including a church which was quick evacuated during its morning services as the fire broke out.

At least 5 firefighters were hospitalized when they were struck by debris  from a backdraft in an explosion. WCBS TV reports the firefighters were from Jersey City.  None of the injuries were considered life-threatening, but officials said one firefighter suffered extensive cuts from the shattered glass of a broken window.

The 39th Annual West Hudson Saint Patrick's Day Parade will still go on as scheduled at 2 p.m. but will be re-routed to avoid the fire scene according to News 12 New Jersey.

The new route will diverted along Second Street into Kearny because of the fire, Mark McDermott, a member of the Parade committee told the Star Ledger, taking it completely away from the fire scene.

The parade includes over 1,000 marchers and thousands more along a parade route that normally goes through Harrison, East Newark and Kearny.


The Associated Press contributed to this report

More From New Jersey 101.5 FM