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Ft Lee auto shop destroyed in blaze

This article is a direct street report from our correspondent and has not been edited by the 1st Responder newsroom.

An auto repair shop was engulfed in flames shortly before 4:30on om on July 31st. A spen call to palisades park reporting a fire on Bergen blvd was reported. As Pal park fd units responded it was discovered the fire was in Ft Lee at 1440 Bergen Blvd on the border of both towns at Smile Auto Services. The building was fully involved as companies arrived, and a second alarm was transmitted bringing mutual aid units to the scene. As heavy fire totally engulfed the entire building and also incinerated several vehicles including an old ambulance which was used by the business. Early into the operation a firefighter sustained an injury and was transported to the hospital. An outside operation was ordered as master streams went into operation along with exposure protection as the apartment building next door started to have its siding start to melt from the heat. Huge plumes of black smoke could be seen from a distance over eastern Bergen County. A firefighter sustained injuries that weren't considered life-threatening, according to Bergen County Prosecutor's Deputy Chief of Detectives Jeff Angermeyer.


 Mutual aid operating at the fire scene included Palisades Park, Leonia, Cliffside Park, Edgewater, Englewood Cliffs, Teaneck BOX-54 For rehab, Ft. Lee Ambulance squad, and several Bergen County Mutual Aid Coordinators. Covering the borough on standby were companies from Englewood, Fairview and Ridgefield Park. The business has been at the top of Bergen Boulevard in Fort Lee for 75 years. The building is a total loss according to borough officials' The prosecutor's Arson Task Force was activated because of the firefighter injury and is investigating the cause of the fire along with Fort Lee authorities, he said.





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DAMIEN DANISSenior Correspondent

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