Wow its really wild down there.The top 4 floors are burning out of control.If the wood frame is supporting just poured concrete than that whole structure could Pancake.Very scary....

yeah it seems to be under better control now... there are so many spectators!!!

If you have cable put on channel 12 news.
There is a lot of fire.

Pictures:

http://picasaweb.google.com/johnmurra ... photo#5119157637306865906

I hope no one gets hurt.

We just came back from staring at it - scared the **** out of me when I first saw it.

There couldn't have been anyone in there, right?

Just watching the news, they are worried about the crane.

Major fire on Jersey City waterfront
by The Jersey Journal
Monday October 08, 2007, 10:29 PM

A major fire is lighting up the skies in Downtown Jersey City as the top floor of a building under construction at 77 Hudson St. burns.

The Jersey Journal's Michaelangelo Conte and photographer Reena Rose Sibayan are at the Greene and Sussex streets scene and will send in updates.

The project is the K. Hovnanian luxury condominiums that was in the news just weeks ago when it was learned that a record $6 million had been paid for a two-decker penthouse.

Channel 5 News is reporting that the Jersey City Fire Department has pulled all its people out of the building because the standpipe only goes up to the 15th floor and the fire is above that, on the 16th, 17th and 18th floors.

Falling debris, they said, also made it too dangerous for firefighters to be inside, so the 80 to 100 firefighters on the scene are fighting it from the outside.

The fire can be seen from Manhattan.

PHOTOS from NJO.COM

There is a video here:

http://wcbstv.com/local/jersey.city.new.2.340926.html

Somebody is going to get their ass in a sling.DCA rules are you build the standpipe as you go,one floor at a time,just for this reason.Building is made of concrete but you need all the wood to support the cement until it cures.

Builder will be fined for sure.

it's called lazy union-protected contractors who would rather be drinking beer at 95-greene and york st bar at NOON instead of making sure their work is finished.

apparently the recent events at the DB building in manhattan did not make enough of an impression on these people.

I'm gonna play Devils Advocate-

"Wait! You mean there are other people building up Jersey City?! This high rise isn't the only one in town?! Whoa, wait a second. Donald "who" is bulding in JC? Maybe I should hedge my bets on this one. Call in the JCFD."

Thoughts?

its wood. who cares. let it burn. bring in new wood, start forming.

My theory: Lazy employee dropped a cigarette on the ground b4 leaving and because of the hot weather, the whole place went on fire.

Quote:

Thats a dumb theory.

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I Hope they are able to find out the cause of the fire, so I can smack your bitchazz with the truth.

There should be major fines if there are supposed to be standpipes on each floor as it is built. Aren't city inspectors supposed to make sure that contractors follow rules?

Oh my god! I hope this doesn't mean both the Jersey City Fire Inspector and Building Inspector's Office will be held accountable now? That would be tragic indeed.

Quote:

You mean like when a developer builds a two-family house with a fire hydrant blocking its driveway?

Some pics at my flickr thing.

Ran into the owners of K. Hovnanian over on Grand.. talk about Family.

What started the fire and what is fuelling the fire? - there isn't that much combustibles up there (basically and empty shell) to spread and fuel such a large fire as pictured.
Looks like an insurance job to me - time will tell

Thanks for the pics, that was some fire, I'm glad to know there was no injuries or loss of any homes. Thanks 1st responders and Red Cross volunteers!

Can anyone tell me what the "frozen zone" is around the fire? Is Warren Street open? How is the traffic downtown this morning?

Thank you!

JCSoxFan, you need to improve. Next fire, keep the camera on a steady supporting item.
The Red Cross came to save the wounded from an empty building. Apparently night life sucks so much in JC that people would enjoy even a fire. Were there any residential buildings evacuated? (Read that: rich people sleeping out.)

most likely a mafia job... union dispute probably.

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That was my first thought too - Hovnanian has been reporting some financial troubles, and my guess is the problems are even worse than reported.

But OTOH, how much of the building actually burned? What can they actually get from insurance for this? How will it affect their plans for the site? I guess we'll find out.

CLICK HERE FOR MAP

Road closures around Jersey City high-rise fire.
High-Rise Under Construction Burns in Jersey City; Frozen Zone

Fox News: Tuesday, Oct. 09

MyFoxNY.com -- New Jersey officials recommend anyone who travels through the financial district of Jersey City avoid the area around York, Morris, Hudson and Washington Streets.

Firefighters are battling a blaze at a construction site at 77 Hudson Street.

York Street to Morris Street and Hudson Street to Washington Street are closed to vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

Take mass transit including the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail if you need to be in the area.

-----------------------------------------

Frozen Zone placed around Jersey City fire
Flames broke out in the high-rise on 77 Hudson Street

WABC Eyewitness News' Kemberly Richardson

(Jersey City - WABC, October 9, 2007) - Jersey City police are imposing a frozen zone this morning around the scene of a high-rise fire that burned through the night.

Eyewitness News reporter Kemberly Richardson is live in Jersey City.

The frozen zone is still in place this morning because firefighters are still on the scene, putting water on the hotspots on the upper floors. Because it's pretty windy this morning, the flames are being fanned.

It was a much different story last night as the fire broke out just before 9:00 p.m., between the 17th and 18th floors of the high-rise located at 77 Hudson Street.

The building is under construction and played a major role in getting to the upper floors. Initially, crews tried to fight the flames from the inside but had to pull out, because those floors were not stable -- made up only of wet concrete and wooden two-by-fours.

They boarded the top tow floors within the last two days, and it takes really 21 days for concrete to cure. So, in this time frame, it would not be safe to have firefighters in there unless the floor is set and solid...It was a decision the chief made and obviously, it was a rational decision to make....,"

Crews were forced to fight the fire from the outside. However, the ladder trucks can only go up to about 10 stories. And there's also been talk about the building's standpipe (its source of water). It is said to only go up to 14 floors, but officials say that's not a violation.

Didn't Healy and Mr. Potato-head just open an Emergency Center to deal with 'EMERGENCIES'?

This fire shows that the emergency center is struggling to help coordinate or put out a fire and the JCFD most likely can't control an emergency above a certain height...Lets just spend money on emergency personnel and not invest in obviously required resources and appliances.

We need to have 'mutual aid' agreements with other local governments to help with these emergencies - this is basic 101 volunteer firefighting info, I learnt as a teenager.

I'd hate to think what might happen if there was a malfunction with a buildings sprinker system in an OCCUPIED building.

Officials Investigate High-Rise Fire In Jersey City
Nearby Blocks Closed Over Fear Of Collapse

Reporting
Tamsen Fadal - CBS News
Oct.09

JERSEY CITY (CBS) ― Firefighters are still battling wind that's stirring up hot pockets around a New Jersey high-rise.

Intense flames shoot into the sky as firefighters worked for hours trying to get this four alarm blaze under control. Firefighters were forced several times to pull back and fight the fire from the ground floor.

Several blocks around the building are closed off as officials continue to worry about the building collapsing. At least two floors collapsed before midnight inside the building as nearby residents watched the scene unfold, unable to return home.

"It looks serious, very serious, I mean as long as no one's hurt that's okay," Andrea Leonardelli said.

With the building's standpipe only activated up to the 14th floor, reaching some of the higher floors has become difficult.

Sparks came raining down, debris hit the sidewalks, even propane tanks exploded from inside the building at 77 Hudson Street which is under construction, an apartment and condo high rise slated to be open in the summer of 2009.

The fire began in an elevator well between the 17th and 18th floors.

"It seems like it's all kind of pieces were coming down," Jeff Diones said.

Up to 100 residents were not allowed back into their homes as firefighers worked to get the fire contained.

The scene is sure to be a headache for the morning commute, although the Hudson-Bergen light rail, PATH and buses are running, commuters are asking to go to Liberty State Park or the bus at Montogomery Street to get in and out of the area for now.

Most of the residents are with friends and family, some have been put up by Red Cross as they wait to find out when they will be allowed to return home.

http://wcbstv.com/topstories/jersey.city.new.2.340970.html

Who the ffccuk was the safety officer for the site?
Why was there propane tanks up there, and if they were needed, why weren't they stored on the floor that had 'standpipe' protection.
The more you read the more I see red flags. Where was the site security officer?