Wednesday, May 6, 2026 n www.TheObserver.com n Volume CXXXVIII, Issue No. 52 w
UNDER THE COVER Two area towns listed as strong real-estate markets Page 2
HISTORIC FIRE
BELLEVILLE n BLOOMFIELD n EAST NEWARK n HARRISON n KEARNY n LYNDHURST n NORTH ARLINGTON n NUTLEY
12-alarm Belleville blaze brings mutual aid from around Jersey, New York City By Kevin A. Canessa Jr. kc@theobserver.com
T
here’s a retired deputy fire chief who would often say “see you at the Big One.” In many ways, that “Big One” never really came. That is, until Sunday, May 3, 2026, when a 12-alarm fire — yes, you read that correctly, a 12-alarm fire — tore through several commercial buildings on Cortlandt Street in Belleville that ultimately spread to other properties in the area. Belleville Mayor Michael A. Melham says the fire broke out sometime around 2:30 p.m. that day — and conditions were made significantly worse by the wind conditions (wind gusts had Photos by Teddy J. Lopez & Michael A. Melham reached between 35-40 MPH) LEFT: Flames rage at the mattress factory on Cortlandt Street. A that plagued firefighters all day mattress may be seen inside the garage as the flames engulf the and night — and then a few
See BLAZE, Page 5
building and red SUV. RIGHT: Firefighters use a ladder-tower to bring personnel to the roof of a home that caught fire on May 3.
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