Fourth-Alarm Fire Destroys Middletown Commercial Garage, Forklift Blamed

A one-story commercial garage on Midland Avenue in Middletown was destroyed by a fourth-alarm fire on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020, after a forklift reportedly struck a natural gas line and ignited a blaze that drew mutual aid from agencies across Orange County.

The fire broke out around 11 a.m. at a large commercial building on Midland Avenue. The blaze also started a number of brush fires behind the building. Firefighters deployed multiple hand lines and tower ladders to battle the fire, which escalated to a fourth alarm and required the response of numerous outside agencies.

The precise address of the building remained in dispute across official and media accounts. The Middletown Fire Department said a call came in just after 11 a.m. for the fire at 9 Midland Ave. Middletown FD's own Facebook post referred to the location as "Midland Avenue Extension," while other reporting cited 17-39 Midland Ave. The discrepancy had not been publicly reconciled as of publication.

The believed cause of the fire, attributed to NewsSource, is that a forklift struck a natural gas line inside or near the structure and triggered the blaze; however, CBS New York reported at the time that the cause was "unclear," and no official investigative determination was confirmed in initial reporting.

Michelson Studios II Soundstage and an Amazon warehouse space were said to be among the businesses affected by the fire. Middletown Mayor Joe Destefano said the building housed a movie studio and other commercial and industrial businesses.

The Middletown Fire Department's Facebook post, shared the following morning, described the scope of the mutual aid effort: "We would like to thank the MANY agencies that were operating on scene, the brush fires, standby, and the OC management teams. THANK YOU." The fire closed parts of Wisner Avenue and North Street, and video posted to social media showed heavy smoke drifting toward nearby houses. A YouTube video by Tracy Racine captured the blaze from above and showed the building collapsing; CBS New York's Chopper 2 also flew over the scene.

Fire officials said there were no injuries reported as of 12:15 p.m. The Orange County Fire Investigation unit had not publicly confirmed an official cause determination in the immediate aftermath of the blaze.