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They broke down the locked door and turned extinguishers on the blaze.
But the heat and smoke from the quickly-spreading fire forced them out of the stone building, built as a private residence in the Alpine section of Palisades Interstate Park nearly a century ago, Lt. Jock Watkins Jr. said.
By that time, a dispatcher had summoned firefighters and rushed to the second floor to retrieve a bicyclist who’d stopped to use the bathroom.
Both hurried out fire exits, Watkins said.
It being a holiday, fewer people than usual on a weekday were in the building and no one was injured, he said.
For now, PIP Police Chief Steven Shallop’s squad of nearly three dozen officers and dispatchers are working from mobile command trucks supplied by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the Bergen County Public Safety Operations Center.
The department “continues to provide full police and emergency response services,” Watkins said.
However, Palisades Interstate Park administration, operations, and the Palisades Interstate Park Municipal Court offices remain closed until the building is deemed safe.
“Plans are being made to resume court functions at a temporary location that will be announced in the coming days,” the lieutenant said.
The fire apparently broke out in a surge protector or electrical outlet around 11:45 a.m. -- and quickly went to four alarms because of problems with water pressure, responders said.
It was declared under control in a little over 90 minutes.
Responding companies included tankers and/or ladders from Closter, Alpine, Norwood, Northvale, Demarest, Tenafly, Fort Lee, Ridgefield, Saddle River, Upper Saddle River and Sparkill.
Engines from Old Tappan and Closter were standing by at Alpine fire headquarters. Closter EMS and Rescue also responded, as did an EMS unit from Englewood Hospital and Medical Center.
The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, State Police OEM, Bergen County OEM, and State Fire Marshall’s Office also responded.
Another wing of the same building burned in the 1970s.
A full damage assessment from this week's blaze was still being conducted, Watkins said.
“There is significant fire, smoke and heat damage within the PIPPD area and adjacent areas of the building,” the lieutenant said. “Approximately one third of the building sustained damage and will require renovation.”
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