Firefighters battle cold, wind in blaze behind Hackensack food market
Authorities say the fire does not appear to be suspicious.
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High winds and frigid temperatures made battling a blaze in Hackensack more challenging for firefighters Thursday afternoon.
According to Fire Capt. Kurt Nemeczek, members of the Hackensack Fire Department's 4th Platoon were called to Universal Food Markets on State Street around 12:30 p.m. after receiving reports of an outside fire that was in danger of extending to the building.
When the crews arrived, they immediately stretched hose lines both inside and outside the building to begin extinguishing the flames. In addition to the fire and smoke, firefighters faced heavy winds and frigid temperatures.
"A rapid response from on duty companies brought the fire under control with limited extension to the building, preventing a large loss. Conditions on scene were hampered by the high winds, cold temperatures, and a large amount of rubbish that had to be overhauled, bringing the fire to a 2nd Alarm with mutual aid into the city," Nemczek said in a statement.
Members of the municipality's health department, building department and fire prevention bureau were all on scene. The business was closed so that repairs could be made following the blaze.
The Hackensack Fire Prevention Bureau is currently investigating the cause of the fire, but at this point, officials do not believe it was suspicious. No injuries were reported, the captain said.
