IRVINGTON, NJ – A late-night blaze tore through a cannabis dispensary in Essex County, leaving two firefighters injured and a commercial building heavily damaged after flames erupted inside the store’s second-floor location on Clinton Avenue.
The three-alarm fire broke at Flowerbomb Dispensary out last week, sending plumes of thick smoke billowing across several city blocks as emergency crews battled the blaze into the early morning hours. Eyewitnesses reported hearing glass shattering and seeing bright orange flames punching through the roof before firefighters gained control of the inferno.
The dispensary said on Instagram that it will rise from the ashes.
Officials said the injured firefighters were treated for minor injuries and later released from the hospital. No civilian injuries were reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, though early reports suggest the flames originated in the dispensary’s rear storage area where electrical equipment was housed.
Flames rip through Clinton Avenue business district
The fire forced the evacuation of nearby businesses and apartments as crews from multiple departments, including Irvington, Newark, and East Orange, responded to contain the fast-moving blaze. Heavy smoke poured into the surrounding neighborhood, visible from the Garden State Parkway.
Residents described the chaotic scene as firefighters worked to prevent the flames from spreading to adjoining storefronts. “It looked like the whole block was glowing red,” one witness told reporters. “You could smell the smoke from several streets away.”
Key details from the incident:
- The fire began overnight inside a cannabis dispensary on Clinton Avenue in Irvington.
- Two firefighters were injured and later released after hospital treatment.
- Investigators are probing the cause, believed to have started in a storage or electrical area.
By dawn, only the building’s charred frame remained, with crews still dousing hotspots and investigators sifting through debris. City officials have not yet confirmed whether the dispensary was open at the time of the fire, and state fire marshals are expected to review surveillance footage as part of their ongoing inquiry.
