Building In Orange Under Demolition After Fire; Verizon Making Repairs

ORANGE, NJ — An abandoned building that caught fire in Orange last week is being demolished, but it is still unknown what caused the blaze, which knocked out Verizon service for some nearby residents, authorities said Monday evening.

Orange firefighters arrived at the corner of Mitchell and South Jefferson Street around 3:30 a.m. on Aug. 24 to find the three-story building engulfed, with flames showing on all floors and exteriors, according to Fire Chief Derrick Brown.

Other fire departments in the area responded to the three-alarm blaze, with all firefighters “returning safely,” according to the Maplewood NJ FMBA L-25.

Brown said it is still unknown what caused the fire at the building, which had a “heavy timber interior skeleton.”

Most of the damage was contained to the building itself. But some vehicles, utility distribution lines and nearby properties were destroyed or damaged, he said, adding that building is “under demolition at this time.”

PSE&G and Verizon crews have been on the scene from the first day of the fire assessing damages and working to restore disconnected services, Brown said.

A Verizon spokesperson released a statement to Patch about the fire on Tuesday:

“A Verizon facility sustained damage from a nearby fire. The situation prompted emergency crews in the area to restore power and place a new pole, affecting service to some of our customers. Our team is working with local emergency crews to make repairs, and we expect to have service fully restored in the area shortly.”

A PSE&G spokesperson said there are not any outages associated with the fire as of Tuesday morning.

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