PORT JERVIS – The cause of a fire that damaged two buildings on the campus of Kolmar Laboratories in the City of Port Jervis late Saturday afternoon remains under investigation.
The blaze kept firefighters from several area departments busy for several hours.
Fire was first located in a vacant 20-foot by 60-foot maintenance building at the rear of the facility with flames threatening the main factory building.
Fire hydrants on the property were inoperable so several tankers were called in for a water shuttle operation from West End Beach used as a fill site.
Fire officials said once the bulk of that fire was knocked down, firefighters shifted to a second fire in a warehouse. That fire was contained in a small building on the roof.
It took two hours to place the fires under control, officials said.
Port Jervis fire officials said the fire was difficult for all crews due to lack of water at the facility, access issues due to concrete barriers and locked gates, extremely poor structural stability due to decades of vacancy and trespassers, and long hose lays into the building.
There were no injuries reported and the fire remains under investigation by Orange County fire investigators.
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