The blaze began at 2:34 a.m. on Friday, May 22, at Stack Street Coffee at 55 West Railroad Ave. inside the Garnerville Industrial Arts Complex, where crews responded to an automatic fire alarm activation, according to the West Haverstraw Fire Department.
When crews arrived, they found smoke conditions inside the building. Firefighters investigating the alarm discovered an active trash fire that had extended into the cockloft, the space between the ceiling and roof.
Crews then stretched hose lines to the top floor while more firefighters ventilated the roof to keep the fire from spreading further.
“Cockloft fires can run on you pretty fast, but the members worked quickly to stop it from taking off,” West Haverstraw Fire Chief Mulero said, noting firefighters were familiar with the location from numerous previous alarm calls.
Around 75 firefighters battled the blaze for about two hours, officials said.
One firefighter was treated at the scene for exhaustion. No other injuries were reported.
The fire remains under investigation by the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office Bureau of Criminal Investigation Arson Unit, which routinely investigates fires when the cause is undetermined.
According to firefighters, the Garnerville Terminal complex spans around 14 acres and dates back to the 1800s. The property includes several interconnected and standalone buildings housing more than 50 mixed-use businesses.
Mutual aid was provided by the Haverstraw, Thiells, Stony Point, Hillcrest, Central Nyack, and Suffern fire departments, along with Rockland County fire coordinators, Haverstraw Ambulance Corps, Rockland Paramedic Services, and the Town of Haverstraw Police Department.
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