LINDEN -- Authorities on Friday labeled a three-alarm fire that destroyed part of an abandoned warehouse suspicious, but they said it was too soon to know whether the fire had been set on purpose.
Fire Chief Joseph Dooley said investigators had ruled out the possibility that Wednesday's blaze, which shut down New Jersey Transit lines for hours, was caused by a technical failure.
"Since the building had no utilities and it's an abandoned building ... you come down to some human involvement," he said. "Whatever the intention is a different matter."
Linden police said the investigation into the fire has been slowed by dangerous conditions at the West Elizabeth Avenue site, which once housed the varnish manufacturer United Lacquer, but has been abandoned over the last 15 to 20 years.
Linden warehouse fire brought under control
City Clerk Joseph Bodek said Linden is seeking to redevelop the area, which includes three vacant buildings, and developers' proposals were due Wednesday.
Linden officials have been unable to find the property's owners, who disappeared while owing a large amount of taxes, Bodek said. The city plans to transfer ownership to a development company through a condemnation process.
The new owner would be responsible for environmental clean-up of the site, which Dooley said may be contaminated from years of hosting chemical manufacturers.
He said possible health concerns, combined with questions about the buildings' structural integrity, caused firefighters to choose not to enter the buildings while fighting Wednesday's flames.
Union County's hazmat team monitored air conditions during the fire, but found no danger to the public, Dooley said.
Homeless people at times have used the site as shelter, but Dooley said crews saw no people come out of the building during the fire. The compound was the site of at least one other blaze last year, he said.
The fire broke out at about 10 p.m. Wednesday at the back of one of the site's warehouses and ultimately caused the roof and some of the floors in that section to collapse, Dooley said. To access the area, which borders the train tracks, firefighters worked from the site of Total Lubricants at West Elizabeth Avenue and North Stiles Street.
Firefighters contained the fire by 4 a.m. Thursday, and N.J. Transit resumed service, Linden police said.
A Clark firefighter was hurt while battling the blaze and was later released from a local hospital after being treated for minor injuries, according to Linden police.
Dooley said several local fire departments helped fight the blaze as part of Union County Mutual Aid.
"Because of all these components of a group of people who work together a lot and often, we were able to get everything stabilized and controlled ... in really a very good order," he said.
Marisa Iati may be reached at miati@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Iati or on Facebook here. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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