Abbott Brant, John Ferro, Nina Schutzman, and Amanda J. Purcell

Poughkeepsie Journal

FISHKILL - The massive fire that ravaged the Gap Inc. distribution center in Fishkill left hundreds of workers wondering what will happen to their jobs and investigators trying to discover the cause of the devastating blaze.

Flames towered high above a building on the multi-building campus Monday night. First responders from dozens of agencies turned out for the report of a fire at 10:33 p.m. Hours later, firefighters continued to battle hotspots still active Tuesday morning within "Building 2," a 990,000-square-foot structure, according to Village of Fishkill Fire Chief Brandon Knapp.

As federal, state and local investigators attempt to determine what caused the blaze and why the flames spread so aggressively, questions also remain about what will happen in the long-term to the 600 employees at the now closed facility and what the impact will be on stores in the Northeast.

At a press conference Tuesday, officials described a fire that quickly escalated and required response from more than 20 fire departments from three counties. There were no injuries to any workers, officials said, and one firefighter suffered a minor laceration to his lower leg, according to Knapp.

Officials declined to answer questions about where the blaze began, how officials were alerted, what the possible causes may be or even if the fire was suspicious. Other questions include if there was a fire suppression system and if it was working at the time of the fire.

One worker said affected employees were to be placed on administrative leave. Gap officials did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment and clarifications on how the fire will affect the workers and company.

Investigation

The investigation is being conducted by state police, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the state Office of Fire Prevention and Control, and the Dutchess County 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, spokesman Matthew Myerson said, would be the 2013 explosion and fire at the West Fertilizer Company storage and distribution facility in West, Texas.

Myerson noted that the investigation at the Gap site is continuing and that "there are lots of fires we wind up determining are accidental."

State police ask anyone who may have information regarding the fire to call state police headquarters in Poughkeepsie at 845-677-7300.

Battling the blaze

Firefighters from the Village of Fishkill and Rombout fire departments were dispatched to the scene Monday night, according to Knapp.

An aggressive interior attack was made by firefighters in an attempt to combat the blaze, but they were eventually driven out by "deteriorating fire conditions" and transition to a defensive attack was made, resulting in numerous fire departments responding to the scene from Dutchess, Putnam and Orange counties.

According to Dana Smith, commissioner of the Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response, 23 fire departments responded to the scene, as well as EMS providers Mobile Life Support Service and EMStar, and five police agencies. The equipment included five tower ladders, 18 tankers and eight engines. The exact amount of water used was unknown, but Smith said it was in excess of a million gallons.

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.

Throughout the early morning, firefighters took breaks in shifts, while others drove water out to those in need of hydration. The heat from the flames could be felt from the access road leading to the facility.

Firefighters, perched atop ladders, attacked the flames with hoses. More than 100 employees stood outside the building and watched.

Large cracks in the facade of the building walls became visible before 3 a.m., and large sections of the roof appeared to have crumbled earlier in the night.

The building that was on fire is located in the Village of Fishkill, said Mayor James Miccio. The facility is located alongside I-84, off exit 13, where it intersects with Route 9.

Campus closed

Assistant Dutchess County Executive Ron Hicks said the Gap distribution center is one of the county's top employers and at this time, there were 600 people that worked in the building where the fire took place.

The "entire campus is offline" and is closed, according to Hicks.

Hicks and Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro are working closely with Gap Vice President and Regional Manager Jim Young to ensure resources are available to employees displaced by the fire, Molinaro said in his statement.

The county is coordinating with the Governor's Office and the state Department of Labor's Regional Rapid Response Coordinator to "identify resources available locally with the goal of coordinating a response and offering assistance to meet the needs of the employees."

"First, we are most concerned about employees that are displaced, and then number two, getting the facility up and running," Hicks said.

Ryan Pecchia, a 37-year-old City of Poughkeepsie resident, 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 area where the fire started is a place where merchandise is stored. He estimated the four-floor expanse contains millions of items.

Hicks said until the investigation is completed, it will be be difficult for the company to fully assess the damage.

"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."

“We are grateful to all of the first-responders who have been here throughout the night and this morning to ensure all of the employees were able to safely leave the building without injury ... Dutchess County will do everything within our capability to assist the Gap and its employees to get back up and running at full capacity as quickly as possible," Molinaro said.

Major employer

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.

Most jobs at a distribution center are warehouse-type work, moving boxes of merchandise around and keeping track of them with scanners and computers.There's truck unloading and loading, as well as some other support jobs like supervisory, security, maintenance and administrative roles.

The facility opened in September 2000, according to Journal archives, and expanded a year later.

Miccio said the fire is “devastating for the company. I hope they can recover.”

One onlooker, Lauren Torrisi, 19, of Wappingers Falls said she and her friend, Matthew Fox, 21, of Hopewell Junction, heard about the fire while they were at Dunkin' Donuts in Hopewell 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," Torrisi said. "It looks like the whole roof is gone."

"We just saw this bright orange glow," Fox said.

Abbott Brant: abrant@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4809; Twitter: @AbbottBrantPoJo. John Ferro: 845-437-4816; jferro@poughkeepsiejournal.com; Twitter: @PoJoEnviro. Amanda J. Purcell: apurcell@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4807; Twitter: @amandajpurcell. Nina Schutzman: nschutzman@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-451-4518 Twitter: @pojonschutzman