Fire ravages Gap distribution center in N.Y.
FISHKILL, N.Y. — A massive fire that ravaged the Gap Inc. distribution center in Fishkill, displaced hundreds of workers and lit up the night sky was under investigation uesday.
Flames towered high above a building on the multi-building campus Monday night. Hours later, firefighters from multiple agencies were continuing to battle hotspots still active Tuesday morning within "Building 2," a 990,000-square-foot structure, Village of Fishkill Fire Chief Brandon Knapp said.
Officials Tuesday described a fire that quickly escalated and required response from more than 20 fire departments in three counties. No workers were injured, officials said, and one firefighter suffered a minor laceration to his lower leg, Knapp said.
One worker said affected employees were to be placed on administrative leave. Gap executives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The investigation is being conducted by New York state police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the state Office of Fire Prevention and Control, and the Dutchess County (N.Y.) Fire Investigation Division, Knapp said.
An ATF spokesman said the agency typically assists investigations of fires that may have involved explosives or arson at properties that affect interstate commerce.
An example of such an ATF investigation would be the 2013 explosion and fire at the West Fertilizer Co. storage and distribution facility in West, Texas, spokesman Matthew Myerson said.
Myerson noted that the investigation at the Gap site is continuing and that "there are lots of fires we wind up determining are accidental."
Firefighters were sent to the scene around 10:30 p.m. Monday, Knapp said.
They tried to fight the blaze from the inside, but were eventually driven out by "deteriorating fire conditions."
The response drained Fishkill's backup water supplies, prompting village officials to issue a notice asking residents to conserve water until the reserves could be replenished.
As the flames burned, more than 100 employees stood outside the building and watched.
The distribution center is located alongside Interstate 84.
Assistant Dutchess County Executive Ron Hicks said the Gap distribution center is one of the county's top employers and at this time, there are 600 people that work in the building where the fire took place.
The "entire campus is offline" and is closed, Hicks said.
Ryan Pecchia, 37, serves as a merchandise handler. He was working the night shift when the fire alarms went off.
Pecchia said he did not see any fire from where he was working inside the building, but the extent of the conflagration became apparent after he and other co-workers went outside.
"I could still feel the heat and I was 500 feet away from the fire," he said.
Pecchia said the fire started where merchandise is stored.
Hicks said until the investigation is completed, it will be be difficult for the company to fully access the damage. Once the damage is accessed, the county will be able to "respond to their needs."
"Gap officials can’t do an assessment until after the investigation is complete," Hicks said. "They are not able to enter into the building at all. When they can, then the Gap officials can do an assessment. Right now the whole campus is offline. They’re hoping to have up the largest part of the campus once the smoke is cleared and the power is back on."
A major employer in Dutchess County, Gap Inc. announced plans in 2014 to add 1,200 jobs over a five-year span, and invest $96 million into the Fishkill facility. At the time of the announcement, the facility had more than 425 employees.
The facility opened in September 2000, according to Poughkeepsie Journal archives, and expanded a year later.
Fishkill Mayor James Miccio said the fire is “devastating for the company. I hope they can recover.”
One onlooker, Lauren Torrisi, 19, said she and her friend, Matthew Fox, 21, heard about the fire while they were at Dunkin' Donuts in Hopewell Junction and went to the scene. Torrisi said smoke billowed the length of Merritt Boulevard as she pulled up in the car.
"We were just hoping no one was hurt. No one could survive that if they were still inside," said Torrisi. "It looks like the whole roof is gone."
"We just saw this bright orange glow," Fox said.
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