Union City, N.J. - On the afternoon of March 16^th, North Hudson dispatch sent a full assignment to Union City City Hall, 3715 Palisade av., for a report of a possible electrical fire. Additional information provided via radio stated that Fire Control was now receiving reports of people trapped in a City Hall elevator.  

Second Battalion Chief  Mike Giacumbo arrived and gave a size up of the building.  Fire units were directed around the corner, to the 300-block of 37^th Street, where they found fire involving a cable bucket truck, with its boom up next to a pole.

The mishap involved an overhead power line that split and fell onto parked vehicles.  A fire  ensued which involved several parked cars and the bucket truck, located in the middle of the street.  The bucket driver had escaped from the truck and was later examined by city EMT's.  

Heavy, black smoke covered 37^th Street, with only flames visible from the vehicles across the street from  City Hall.  Then a loud “pop” as a tire on the cable truck let got and went up into the air.  The loud noise stunned people that were exiting stores and dwellings in the area.  Smoke was also blowing over the Bergenline Avenue business district, making more people aware of the incident.

Firefighters stretched hose lines and began to wet down the burning vehicles.  Public Service Electric was also notified to respond.  A working fire assignment was ordered by Deputy Chief Crossan for additional units as battalion chiefs took control of divisions on the Palisade Avenue and New York Avenue sides of the 300-block of the street.  

A Union City fire inspector came across a woman that had just been struck by an auto on Bergenline Avenue, with a head injury, and called for city EMS.  Also during this time North Hudson Fire Control was dispatching units to other fire and emergency calls in the city and North Bergen.  In addition, the members of Tower Ladder 3 extricated the people trapped in the City Hall elevator. 

Electrical power was interrupted in the area.  It was reported that the quarters of Safety 1, on 68^th St. in Guttenberg, had lost power. Needless to say the traffic in the area was clogged up due to numerous street closings in this business and school area; however, local residents are used to traffic jams.      

The bucket truck and several damaged parked autos had to be towed from the scene. 

Members of the Fire Department, Fire Control, Union City Police and EMS handled the incidents in a professional and safe manner.