A par was conducted and all members were accounted for: companys set up numerous exterior hand lines to knock down the fire and protect the exposures. All visible fire was knocked down in about 20 minutes but companies continued to wet down the rubble due to deep seated fire which continued to smolder. Miraculously all occupants had been safely evacuated prior to the explosion and no civilians were injured. 15 firefighters and 3 police officers were transported to the hospital with non life threatening injuries, mainly due to ringing in the ears from the explosion. The D exposure building was severely damaged and was torn down, the B-1 exposure was also heavily damaged but it fat undetermined. As many as 56 other buildings in the area suffered damage and were being evaluated by engineers. A total of 38 people were displaced. Many lives were probably saved by the swift actions of the Paterson Fire Dept. at great risk to their own safety.
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