Hackensack Ford, Hackensack, NJ (1998)

Hackensack Ford, Hackensack, NJ (1998)

Five firefighters were killed on July 1, 1988 inside an automotive dealership in Hackensack, New Jersey. At 3:00 pm initial companies arrived on the scene after reports of “flames and smoke” coming from the Hackensack Ford Dealership to find a heavy smoke condition at the roof. Companies were assigned inside and to the roof to investigate the source of the smoke. The interior company, manned with 6 firefighters and equipped with a 1 ½” hand line, found light smoke conditions while the ventilation company noted heavy smoke conditions with no signs of structural weakness. The tactical decision was made to ventilate the roof and attempt to reach the fire through a scuttle access in the ceiling. This was pursued until 3:34 pm when the battalion chief ordered all lines to be backed out. A minute later the truck company reported high heat and heavy fire at the roof, even though interior crews reported little heat or smoke. Soon after this transmission there was a roof collapse where the interior crews were working. One firefighter managed to escape. His gear was badly burned. Three minutes after the collapse a mayday was transmitted by a lieutenant that stated the he and another firefighter were “stuck inside the rear of the building”. This initial transmission was never acknowledged on scene. Members at headquarters heard the transmission and relayed the information to command. For the next eleven minutes, radio transmissions continued from one of the firefighters trying to relay his position. Rescue efforts continued but were not successful. The bodies of the five firefighters were only removed after the fire was extinguished an hour later. Three bodies were found about 20 feet from the scuttle hole. The other two were found in a tool room in the rear of the service area. The cause of the fire was ruled accidental and originated in the attic space above the service area. In this area there were an abundant amount of automotive parts, tires, and other combustible materials. Not only was this a huge fire load, but the weight weakened the structural integrity of the roof. There were no fire protection systems in place. https://youtu.be/Sfb-D6-ALh8 http://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/02/nyregion/5-firefighters-killed-in-jersey-as-a-roof-collapses.html http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files/PDF/Research/DealershipHackensack.pdf