The building was evacuated and there didn't initially appear to be any serious injuries after the fire broke out between the roof and second floor at the Russ Berrie Home for Jewish Living around 1:30 p.m., responders said.
Workers have been replacing sections of the roof for the past week and a half, they said.
"The area they've been working on is the original flat roof, not the new, peaked addition that was put on the front of the building," one explained.
Northvale firefighters were joined, either at the scene or in coverage, by their colleagues from Alpine, Demarest, Harrington Park, Northvale, Norwood, Orangeburg, Sparkill and Tappan.
Also responding to the three-alarm blaze were Norwood EMS, rigs from Englewood Medical Center and Hackensack University Medical Center, the Harrington Park Volunteer Ambulance Corps and the South Orangetown Ambulance Corps, as well as two EMS coordinators from Bergen County.
The fire was placed under control in under a half-hour, responders said.
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