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The blaze apparently broke out in an alleyway between the corner building on Madison Avenue at 21st Avenue above a T-Mobile store and an adjoining multi-family building on the avenue, just off westbound Route 80, Fire Chief Brian McDermott said.
The four-alarm fire quickly blew through the roof of the second building, with wind fanning the flames.
Firefighters with ladder trucks “did a great job” keeping the roaring fire from spreading beyond both 2½-story, wood-frame structures, believed to be at least 100 years old, McDermott said.
PHOTO ABOVE: COURTESY: News4 New York
“That was a very big fire that went beyond the Paterson resources,” the chief said, adding that firefighters from several communities assisted their city colleagues.
“It’s miraculous that residents didn’t get injured,” Sayegh said.
Five families in all were displaced, along with the cellphone store, the mayor said.
City officials stood ready to help those in need, he said.
A firefighter sustained an injury that wasn't considered serious, said McDermott, the fire chief.
The chief asked motorists to avoid the area, while noting that the ramps from Route 80 and all connecting street were closed.
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