January 30, 1926 - A Night to Remember

The entire series of fires is reported below (in 1926) as perhaps the most disastrous Paterson fire since the1902 conflagration

January 29, 1926:  9:15 PM   282 Main Street - small fire at 282 Main Street in shoe store next to US Theater - seemingly easily extinguished - shortly thereafter all hell breaks loose. The weather was described as one of the coldest nights of the winter.  

---

January 30, 1926:   Historic - Three 3-alarm fires at same time

The Guardian - Courtesy Dennis Morrison

    12:25 AM  Station 472 (Main & Market Streets)   3rd alarm
 
    12:35 AM  Station 514 (Market & Cross Streets)   91-93 Market Street   3rd alarm
​
    1:21 AM  Station 23 (River & Warren Streets) 324-326-328 River Street  3rd alarm

    12:25 AM  Station 472 (Main & Market Streets)  - 2nd and 3rd alarms were sounded immediately upon arrival (12:30 AM) - Fire was at 282 Main Street (building responded to earlier in the evening -  a 3 story mixed occupancy building with shoe store on ground level

12:35 AM  Station 514 (Market & Cross Streets)   91-93 Market Street   3rd alarm
​sounded - 3 story brick building housing B&H shoe store and tenement. Rescues made.​

 1:21 AM  Station 23 (River & Warren Streets) 324-326-328 River Street  3rd alarm.  Station at River and Montgomery Streets also pulled. Fire which started in the Lydecker feed and grain store encompassed the entire block bounded by River, Warren, Keen Streets and the Erie RR. response to fire was delayed by 30 minutes and Chief Coyle had to call for mutual aid: Passaic, Prospect Park, Haledon, Fair Lawn, Columbia Heights and Clifton.  Chief Coyle injured in a fall at the scene. Several rescues were needed.

3:45 AM - unbelievably another incident, related to water from the nearby 3rd alarm fire occurred.