Four-alarm fire on Tulane Avenue affects multiple buildings

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - On Friday just after noon, firefighters on a passing New Orleans Fire Department ladder truck noticed smoke coming from the roof of a single-story commercial building in the 4000 block of Tulane Ave.

The captain of the ladder truck requested a full one-alarm and placed his company on the scene at 4033-37 Tulane Avenue, which housed two adjacent bars in a single-story commercial building.

A second-alarm was requested at 12:17 p.m. as fire personnel began giving instructions to incoming fire companies. As the third-alarm was being struck at 12:29 p.m., an evacuation of a neighboring three-story hotel at 4025 Tulane Ave. was ordered, as well as primary searches of the two bars and a vacant two-story office building at 4041 Tulane Avenue.

A fourth-alarm was eventually requested at 12:38 p.m. as firefighters fought to contain the blaze, preventing its spread to the two neighboring multi-story buildings.

Twenty-four NOFD units carrying seventy-five Fire Operations personnel were used to contain the fire, bringing it under control at 2:56 p.m.

There were no injuries reported and an investigation into the cause of the fire is underway.

The New Orleans Police Department, New Orleans Emergency Medical Services, the Louisiana State Fire Marshal and Entergy are all on the scene assisting with the mitigation of the incident.  The NOFD will keep at least on company on the scene for at least the next twelve hours as a precautionary fire-watch, making sure there are no hot-spots or flare-ups.

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