Crews Respond to Major NJ Building Explosion; Smoke Visible in NYC – NBC New

Emergency crews from multiple cities responded to a significant building explosion in Englewood, New Jersey on Wednesday.

Plumes of thick, black smoke from the four-alarm incident could be seen from midtown Manhattan, wafting toward New York City. Video from Chopper 4 showed at least four ladder trucks pouring water on the remnants of a completely gutted building, with a large pile of debris on at least one side.

The building is in a largely commercial area with office buildings and warehouses. It took firefighters more than two hours to bring the blaze under control.

“Avoid the area at all costs,” Englewood Police said on Twitter.

Videos posted to social media and the Citizen app showed heavy smoke billowing over the entire neighborhood. One nearby user tweeted that the explosion was so strong, it felt like a gust of wind hitting his office’s windows.

The fire caused highway detours as well.