NATION : N.J. City’s Downtown in Ruins
PATERSON, N.J. — The downtown business district lay in smoldering ruins early today, ravaged by a wind-driven fire that destroyed two blocks of businesses and apparently killed one firefighter.
The blaze broke out in a clothing store shortly before 6 a.m. Thursday. Fed by wind gusts of 25 m.p.h. or more, it burned furiously for 10 hours before it was contained. The fire continued to burn early today.
One firefighter is missing and presumed dead, officials said.
Authorities said they still could not enter the smoking ruins of 24 businesses, and the cause of the fire had not been determined.
It caused at least $13 million in damage, said Mayor William J. Pascrell Jr. “We’re talking about a major disaster here,” he said. “It will have a tremendous impact--it’s the heart of the downtown shopping area.”
The fire broke out at the Underground II women’s clothing store and quickly spread across an entire block, then jumped to the next block. “I saw all this smoke and next thing you know, all these buildings were on fire,’ a witness said.
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