Photos, Anonymous

RUTHERFORD (Nov. 24, 2009) — A massive fire engulfed a building in Rutherford Tuesday, Nov. 24, lighting up the pre-dawn sky as it swept through the warehouse used by Nick’s Towing on Meadow Road, next to Flash Cleaners.

Route 17 was closed in both directions at approximately 7 a.m., snarling traffic in and around the borough for several hours. Five morning accidents were reported in the vicinity of the fire, said Rutherford Police Capt. Joseph Merli in a phone interview at 1 p.m.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but it does not appear to be suspicious in nature at this point, Merli said.

The blaze appeared to have started when a car stored in the garage caught on fire. A worker who came to the building at 5:45 a.m. saw smoke and flames and called in the emergency. The police arrived right away, but the fire had already spread to the building’s insulation, according to Merli.

At press time, no injuries had been reported. A damage estimate was not available.

Karol Leigland, who lives at 52 Meadow Road, across the street from the conflagration, said that she first heard sirens at approximately 5:30 a.m. “By then, it was all in smoke,” she added. Leigland left her house when flaming ashes began to drift her way.

At 9 a.m., heavy smoke continued to shroud the area, and burning embers floated as far away as the Wendy’s parking lot. Firefighters sprayed streams of water into the building from a ladder truck and from seated positions on the road in front of the building, anchoring the weight of the hoses with their legs stretched out in front of them.

The fight lasted all morning. Merli said the blaze was finally controlled at approximately 12 p.m.

Fire crews from several departments came to Rutherford’s aid, including Wallington, Moonachie and East Rutherford, according to Merli.

“Flash Cleaners came through it very well,” Merli said. “The fire department did a very good job in totally saving that building.”

The chiropractor’s office on the other side of the garage was also saved, Merli added.

The fire department requested the highway closure so that they could tap into hydrants on the other side of Route 17, because the water pressure available to them on Meadow Road was not sufficient, Merli said.

Photos, Tyler Capitani