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       #Post#: 154--------------------------------------------------
       EARLY MORNING FIRE IN PATTERSON N.J.
       By: wolfie Date: February 18, 2011, 10:42 am
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       Four-alarm blaze injures Paterson firefighter, 37 displaced
       Friday, February 18, 2011
       LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY FEBRUARY 18, 2011, 11:34 AM
       BY MARLENE NAANES
       NORTHJERSEY.COM
       STAFF WRITER
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       PATERSON — A four-alarm blaze tore through four Grand Street
       buildings across the street from the county jail Friday morning,
       injuring a firefighter and displacing 37 residents, fire
       officials said.
       The 1:45 a.m. fire started in a three-story building at 324
       Grand St. and quickly spread to two buildings on the left and
       one on the right. The fire also threatened a two-story apartment
       building in the back, said Deputy Fire Chief Joseph Murray.
       Sheriff’s officers from the jail were on the scene first.
       Corrections Officer Jason Ekkers, who is also a volunteer
       firefighter, was flagged down by a woman who said her baby and
       family were still inside 324 Grand St.
       Ekkers went into the burning building, grabbed the elderly woman
       and pulled her outside while carrying the baby, sheriff’s
       spokesman William Maer said in a statement. Ekkers and four
       other corrections officers evacuated 322 Grand St., getting five
       people and a dog out without harm.
       "This is an example of quick-thinking officers, selflessly
       serving the public,” Passaic County Sheriff Richard H. Berdnik
       said in a statement. “Because of the brave actions of these
       officers and Paterson fire, EMS and police, a major catastrophe
       was avoided and potentially lives were saved. These individuals
       are true public servants and we should all be grateful."
       Thirty other residents evacuated safely before firefighters
       arrived.
       The fire quickly escalated to a fourth alarm, and six other
       towns were called to help fight the blaze. It was extinguished
       by 4:30 a.m.
       One firefighter fell and was taken to St. Joseph’s Regional
       Medical Center with a shoulder injury, Murray said. All of the
       residents, except for those who live in the back building, were
       displaced and found shelter with family or friends, Murray said.
       Investigators have not determined the cause of the fire.
       “We haven’t ruled anything out, but we have no reason to be
       suspicious at this time,” Murray said.
       A fire broke out on Grand St. overnight and damaged several
       buildings.
       The four attached buildings, which were commercial and
       residential, were severely damaged in the fire, Murray said. The
       businesses on the ground floors included a bodega, a bail bonds
       business, a barbershop, a money transfer firm and an appliance
       store.
       The rear building, which had only external damage, was behind
       the apartment building with the bodega at 324 Grand St., Murray
       said.
       Staff Photographer Tariq Zehawi contributed to this report.
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