By: Tracie Carter
Firefighters battled a massive five-alarm fire Friday evening at a residential building on Stegman Street that prompted an emergency evacuation of crews and drew a large regional response.
According to emergency dispatch reports, firefighters responded to 255 Stegman Street shortly before 5:45 p.m., where they encountered heavy fire originating in a garage that had rapidly extended into the upper floors of the building.
A second alarm was transmitted upon arrival as crews worked to contain the growing blaze. Minutes later, the fire intensified, prompting command to strike a third alarm.
At approximately 5:50 p.m., incident commanders ordered all firefighters to evacuate the structure as conditions inside the building deteriorated.
As the challenging firefight continued, a fourth alarm was transmitted at 6:19 p.m., followed by a fifth alarm about 20 minutes later to bring in additional personnel and resources, including firefighter rehabilitation crews.
By approximately 7:09 p.m., command reported that all visible fire had been knocked down.
Firefighters then began extensive overhaul operations on the building’s second and third floors to extinguish remaining hot spots and check for hidden fire.
No immediate information was available regarding injuries to civilians or firefighters, the number of residents displaced, or the cause of the fire.
The incident remains under investigation by Jersey City fire officials.