Fatal Hoboken Fire Restarts Overnight, Damages More Businesses

HOBOKEN, NJ — A fire in an old Hoboken factory early Monday morning — which already took two lives — started up again overnight and continued into Wednesday morning.

The county prosecutor's office had said that the fire in the non-residential building included an explosion and resulted in the deaths of a woman, 60, and a man, 61.

At least five small businesses have started GoFundMe pages to raise money (see links below).

The former My-T-Fine pudding factory, more than a century old, was home to numerous small businesses and art studios.

On Wednesday night, the city provided an update: "Jackson Street between Newark Street and Observer Highway remains closed as the Hoboken Fire Department continues fire suppression operations at 38 Jackson St. All other streets in southwest Hoboken are open at this time. The Office of Emergency Management instructs residents to avoid the area ... Hudson County has conducted air quality testing and the air has been deemed safe. Thank you to everyone for your patience and understanding during this challenging time."

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Residents posted video of the scene on Wednesday morning:

The Mission 50 co-work space nearby posted this message about street closures:

Firefighters postponed their Santa trip around town, tentatively planning it for Thursday.

More Information

After finding two victims of a fire at the Hoboken Chambord factory building on Monday, the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office says the county arson unit is investigating.

The fire at 38 Jackson St. in Hoboken — which houses the Chambord artistic wallpaper company and other businesses — claimed two lives: Rosemarie Vos, 60, and a 61-year-old man who has not yet been publicly identified.

Prosecutors said a police officer on patrol heard an explosion around 12:20 a.m.

Firefighters were still fighting the blaze later Monday morning.

The Hudson County Prosecutor's Office released this information late Monday night:

"On Monday, Dec. 20, at approximately 12:20 a.m., a Hoboken Police Officer while on patrol heard a loud explosion in the area of Jackson Street in Hoboken. First responders to the area found an active fire in a warehouse located at 38 Jackson St.

"The Hoboken Fire Department responded and was assisted in extinguishing the fire by the Jersey City Fire Department and the North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue Department. The fire damaged several surrounding buildings and several of the building sustained severe water damage. The investigation into the origin and cause of the fire is pending.

"During fire suppression activities, firefighters found two victims in the warehouse. They were pronounced dead at the scene. The cause and manner of death of the victims are pending the findings of the Regional Medical Examiner’s Office.

The Regional Arson Task Force is actively investigating this incident with assistance from the Hoboken Fire Department and Hoboken Police Department. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office at 201-915-1345 or leave an anonymous tip on the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office website at http://www.hudsoncountyprosecutorsofficenj.org/homicide-tip/. All information will be kept confidential."

Onlookers posted photos and video on Twitter of the blaze:

The building is in the southwest corner of town, near the Jersey City border.

JerseyDigs had reported last summer that a developer was in the process of purchasing the property.

The three-alarm blaze was put out by morning, and some streets were temporarily closed as responders cleaned up.

Patch will update this story later if more information is available.

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