HILLSIDE, N.J. — Weeks after a massive explosion sparked a five-alarm fire that gutted six businesses and forced residents from their homes, Hillside community members are coming together to rebuild what was lost.

The blaze, which quickly erupted on the evening of Oct. 14 at an auto‑body shop near the intersection of Maple and Conklin Avenues, quickly spread through a cluster of small businesses. It was fueled by a ruptured gas line and flammable chemicals, officials said.Thick black smoke blanketed the neighborhood, prompting a shelter‑in‑place warning for residents with respiratory issues. 

“I’ve been coming to the flower shop for birthdays and anniversaries for years,” said Maria Lopez, a local resident. 

“Seeing it gone just hurts,” said John Davis, who frequented the burnt-down grocery store. “I don’t know where I’ll get my weekly groceries now. It was a lifeline for our block.”

Among the destroyed businesses were a flower shop, a grocery store, a barber shop and the auto‑body shop that triggered the blaze. Three nearby homes also sustained damage as the fire advanced. According to officials at the Hillside Office of Emergency Management, at least 30 residents have been displaced and are receiving aid from the American Red Cross. 

In the aftermath, township officials have established a recovery task force to assess the economic damage to small businesses and to coordinate rebuilding. Business owners, many of whom had operated for decades in the corridor, say they now face uncertainty. 

“I put everything into this… I’m just happy that God protected my family and my employees,” said one owner whose shop was engulfed. 

Emergency‑management staff are also reviewing zoning and hazard‑material regulations—particularly for industrial and auto‑repair businesses adjacent to residential and retail zones. The incident has underscored the need for updated inventories of hazardous materials at these sites and stronger community alert systems for air‑quality threats.

“Our major concern right now is the air quality and the fact that these were businesses right in the heart of our community,” said Mayor Dahlia O. Vertreese, calling the incident the township’s “second‑worst fire in nearly 20 years.” 

As cleanup and investigations continue, Hillside’s residents and small‑business owners are confronting both the visible damage and the less tangible impact: the disruption of a community hub and the challenge of restoring normalcy. 

“Material stuff can be replaced, but your life can’t,” Vertreese said.