Fire kills two people in house
Source: George Berkin/The Star-Ledger, December 30, 2004

An elderly couple who lived alone was killed yesterday in a house fire in the Skillman section of Montgomery Township, officials said. The fire broke out shortly after 2 a.m. in their home on Belle Meade-Blawenburg Road, also known as Route 601, officials said. Killed in the fire were Joseph Palecek and his wife, Jane, according to Fire Chief Connie Kelly of the Montgomery Township Volunteer Fire Co. No. 2. The couple, who lived alone, were in their 80s, according to Kelly and neighbors. Because Joseph Palecek no longer had a driver’s license, the couple was pretty much confined to the house, Kelly said. A daughter and son-in-law would check on the couple regularly, Kelly added, and neighbors would often visit. ‘‘They just go over to visit, to chat, to do the things that neighbors do,’’ Kelly said. A motorist noticed the fire shortly before 2:30 a.m. and contacted police. Officers attempted to enter the fire-engulfed home but were unable to do so, authorities said. After the township fire department extinguished the blaze, the remains of the victims were located. One body was found on the living room floor by the entrance door and the second on a bed in the eastern part of the home. Both bodies were removed by the state regional medical examiner’s office and taken to Newark for an autopsy. The county arson task force determined the fire originated in a utility room near a wood-burning stove. The blaze is believed to be the result of combustible materials in proximity to the heat source. Joseph Palececk, who retired from nearby Ingersoll Rand, built the single-story bungalow with his father more than 50 years ago, Kelly said. The house sat 100 feet back from the road and was surrounded by trees. ‘‘Most people didn’t even know the house was there,’’ Kelly said.

Possible arson attempt reported
Source: Bryan Sabella/Woodbridge Sentinel, December 29. 2004

Colonia: The owner of a house on Colonia Boulevard told police somebody may have been planning to set it on fire recently. Police and fire personnel responded to the location at 6:40 p.m. on Dec. 18, where the owner told them someone had doused the side of the house with gasoline. The owner told police he purchased the home about three months ago and was planning on using it as a rental property. There was no fire, and no injuries were reported, police said.

Franklin Chimney Fire
Source: Sharon Waters/The Home News Tribune, December 29, 2004

A chimney fire at a West Point Avenue home caused minor damage yesterday afternoon, police said. Flames spread to the attic during the blaze, which was reported at 12:46 p.m., but no injuries were reported, authorities said. The family was not displaced by the fire, according to police.

Home lost in Avenel following three-alarm fire
Source: Sharon Waters/The Home News Tribune, December 29, 2004

A morning blaze destroyed a Hudson Boulevard house and shut two streets for more than two hours yesterday, authorities said. The cause of the three-alarm fire was undetermined yesterday but appeared to be accidental, said Avenel Fire Department Chief Frank Strain. "The entire inside of the structure is gutted. It's uninhabitable," Strain said. The blaze began at 10:27 a.m., said Strain. The owner and only occupant an elderly woman was home at the time but escaped without injury, he said. The home was a single-level structure with a crawl space above, said Strain. Ten companies responded to the fire, which was brought under control at 11:30 a.m., Strain said. One firefighter suffered a slight injury and was treated at the scene, said Strain. Hudson Boulevard and Roanoke Street were closed until 1 p.m., he said.

Firefighter Injured
Source: The Star-Ledger, December 29, 2004 Photo: Patti Sapone/The Star-Ledger

A portion of Englishtown Road was closed for five hours and one firefighter was injured as 10 fire companies battled a blaze yesterday morning at Railroad Salvage, one of the businesses in a complex of stores in Monroe, police said. Fire officials blamed a faulty boiler in the building’s heating system for starting the fire, which heavily damaged the shop, police said.

 

Bound Brook residents hurt in fire, man injured critically, woman leaps from second floor to escape blaze
Source: Raviya Ismail and Cathy Bugman/The Star-Ledger, December 29, 2004

A predawn fire heavily damaged a duplex in downtown Bound Brook yesterday, critically injuring a man and forcing a woman to jump out of a second-floor window to escape intense heat and smoke. Some 60 firefighters from the borough and surrounding communities braved subfreezing temperatures to battle the blaze at 214-216 Talmadge Ave., frequently rotating duties as they brought the fire under control within a half-hour of its outbreak at 6 a.m., Fire Chief David Czarcinski said. The first responding units encountered flames shooting out of windows

A firefighter surveys the charred home at 216 Talmadge Ave. in Bound Brook. A first-floor resident was listed in critical condition at Saint Barnabas Medical Center and a second-floor resident, who jumped to escape the heat and smoke, was taken to Somerset Medical Center. Photo: Jennifer Hulshizer/For The Star-Ledger

of the northwest corner of the ground-floor apartment of 216 Talmadge Ave. Second-floor tenant Amy Einstein, 25, was hanging out of a window, then jumped as heat and smoke entered her unit, causing her to fracture her right ankle, Somerset County Prosecutor Wayne J. Forrest said. When police went around to the back of the building, they found Ermino Petti Jr., 31, the first-floor tenant, on the back porch, wrapped in a blanket and suffering from burns and smoke inhalation, Forrest said. Both victims were taken to Somerset Medical Center in Somerville for evaluation and Petti was subsequently airlifted to Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, where he was listed in critical condition last night, authorities said. All other occupants of the four apartments in the building were safely evacuated, Forrest said. Two apartments at 214 Talmadge Ave. sustained minor smoke damage. According to Forrest, the fire began in or on Petti’s bed and, when he left to grab an extinguisher in his father’s apartment at 214 Talmadge Ave., he returned to unsuccessfully douse the flames. Investigators have not been able to interview Petti to determine the cause of the blaze, Forrest said. Nearby resident Roberto Molina said he came outside his Vosseler Avenue home shortly after 6 a.m. to see the building on fire and heard Einstein screaming from the second-floor window. Molina said she was hanging out the second-floor window, trying to escape the flames. Molina said a bystander tried to help. ‘‘Some guy was telling (Einstein) to hold on,’’ Molina said shortly after emergency personnel arrived at the scene. Molina, a 16-year resident of the borough, said in the last few years there seem to be more fires in the borough. ‘‘I have no place to go,’’ said Molina. ‘‘Yeah, you get scared. It’s a lot of old houses here. We get a lot of support from the fire department. They are on time for everything.’’ A gas station attendant who identified himself only as Mike said he arrived to work at the Gulf station on Talmadge Avenue at about 6:30 a.m., after taking a detour because part of the road was blocked. By the time he arrived, there were minimal flames at the site but he saw ‘‘real heavy smoke’’ and a woman lying on the ground. He said at that time emergency personnel were working to rescue a person still trapped inside the building. ‘‘These firemen are phenomenal,’’ he said. ‘‘They did a really great job.’’ According to Czarcinski there was a small attic fire a few weeks ago at 316 Talmadge Ave., and another next door at building 318 in a small room where a pile of clothes caught fire. A more extensive fire took place at 303 Talmadge Ave., on top of Danny’s Grocery store where a series of apartments caught fire. Czarcinski did not have further information on the fire, which he said happened some time in the past year.

He knows they've been good: Firefighters follow tradition
Source: Victoria Hurley-Schubert/The Home News Tribune, December 25, 2004

SPOTSWOOD: Bringing the true spirit of Santa and Christmas to children and their families spending the holiday in the hospital is why Spotswood firefighters give up Christmas Eve with their family and friends. The fire department has been assisting Santa for the past 15 years. "We've been doing it very quietly. We don't seek publicity; we enjoy doing it," said Bill Peterson, a Spotswood fire department member for the past 17 years. This year the firemen helped Santa deliver toys to children at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick and the Perth Amboy division of Raritan Bay Medical Center. "This is the true giving, what the spirit of Christmas is all about," he said. An average of 75 children receive a present from Santa every year. The toys are donated or paid for by fund-raisers held throughout the year by the fire department. Peterson and fellow fireman Barry Engstrom start arranging the deliveries with Santa in November. In addition to bringing Santa to the hospitals, the firemen also make stops at homes around the borough. Santa, who rides in a fire truck, starts making deliveries at 7 a.m. and is on the road until 10 p.m. But, Peterson said, the highlight of the day is the joy their visits bring to the children spending the holiday in the hospital. "It's a long day, but a rewarding day. The whole day is for the hospitals. The kids' eyes light up; we brighten their day up for a few minutes. It doesn't matter their religion or ethnicity -- Santa is Santa," said Peterson

Deadly blaze ruled suicide
Source:  Dina Guirguis/The Home News Tribune, December 23, 2004

FRANKLIN: An investigation into a trailer fire off Route 27 Tuesday afternoon has revealed that the victim found inside the burning structure committed suicide. Ann Geherty, 55, died of smoke inhalation, according to the autopsy conducted yesterday by the New Jersey State Regional Medical Examiner's Office. According to Somerset County Prosecutor Wayne Forrest, South Brunswick police Lt. Patrick Owens observed black smoke coming from a Nomad Travel Trailer parked on the property of 4435 Route 27 at approximately 4:30 Tuesday. Owens notified headquarters of the fire and, after a failed attempt to enter the locked trailer, used a portable fire extinguisher to put out the fire, Forrest said. Shortly after, Franklin and members of the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office arson task force responded and found the victim lying face-down just inside the doorway. There were numerous wooden matches on the floor alongside the victim and gasoline was found on the victim's clothing, Forrest said. The only two sets of keys for the trailer were also found inside it, Forrest said. An attendant at a gas station located on at the intersection of Route 1 and Dean's Lane said that Geherty had gone to the station 40 minutes earlier and purchased 60 cents worth of gasoline, which she placed in a red plastic container. The container was found at the fire scene. The trailer is located at the top of a gravel driveway near a white house, which sits just next to the Kingston Mall. Little fire damage could be seen on the exterior of the trailer. Forrest could not say how long Geherty had lived on the property, whether she resided in the trailer or the white house, or whether she was related to anyone living in the house. The next-of-kin notified was Geherty's husband, but Forrest did not believe he lived with Geherty. Anyone with information regarding the fire is asked to contact the Franklin Township Police Department at (732) 873-5533, the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office arson task force at (908) 231-3400 or the Somerset County Crime Stoppers TIPS Line at 1-888-577 TIPS.

Fire wrecks barn used as hangout
Source: The Star-Ledger, December 23, 2004

SOUTH BRUNSWICK: A suspicious fire destroyed an abandoned barn off Ridge Road yesterday that authorities said teenagers occasionally used as a hang-out. The barn, located near the railroad tracks, was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived shortly after 2 p.m., Monmouth Junction Fire Company Assistant Chief Brian Spahr said. ‘‘The barn was nearly collapsing when I arrived,’’ Spahr said. No one was injured, authorities said. Because of the barn’s location, firefighters had to drive down a dirt road and stretch 1,100 feet of fire hose into the field to reach the blaze, Spahr said. Police detective James Stoddard said residents have complained about juveniles hanging out in and around the barn. Stoddard declined to comment on why the fire was labeled suspicious.

After the fire
Source: The Star-Ledger, December 23, 2004
Photo: Jennifer Hulshizer/For The Star-Ledger

A firefighter showers off after battling a minor blaze yesterday at Hair Systems Inc., a hair-coloring manufacturer, in Englishtown. The fire forced workers to evacuate the Park Avenue building.

Fire probe focuses on what lit fumes, East Brunswick burn victim remains in critical condition
Source: Jeanette Rundquist and Joe Tyrrell/The Star-Ledger Decmeber 22, 2004

The long time general store manager of the ShopRite in Montgomery remained in critical condition in a hospital burn unit yesterday, as police continue to investigate a fire that injured him at the supermarket Monday morning. Gary Tresch, 52, of East Brunswick suffered second- and third-degree burns over 43 percent of his body in a fire that occurred after gasoline spilled on him accidentally about 11:30 a.m., then ignited. ‘‘Gasoline spilled on him and there was an electrical charge, which ignited the fumes about him, which made his clothing combust because they were drenched in gasoline. We’re not sure what caused that charge,’’ said Montgomery Police Sgt. Gerry DiDonato. ShopRite officials said they believed Tresch’s cell phone sparked the fire, according to spokeswoman Mary Ellen Gowin, but police checked the manager’s cell phone records and found no calls made or received at the time. One witness told police Tresch was reaching for an in-house intercom phone when the fire ignited, Di Donato said. He had also brushed through hanging plastic curtains in the store doorway, which could create static. ‘‘We’ve ruled out the cell phone; we are now looking at other causes of what could have ignited the fumes,’’ said Montgomery Police Director Michael Beltranena Tresch, who is married and has one son, has worked at the store on Route 206 since 1999. He was listed in critical but stable condition yesterday afternoon in the burn intensive care unit at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston. ‘‘He’s heavily sedated,’’ said his wife, Jean. ‘‘He’s basically unconscious, so he’s not feeling pain.’’ The fire occurred at the rear of the store. Tresch had been outside, moving a display case in the driveway, when an uncapped container of gasoline on one of the shelves spilled on him, police said. Tresch went inside a rear door to clean himself up; the fire ignited just inside. A store employee, Larry O’Rourke, and a candy company vendor, Eric Jaggassar, grabbed him and rolled him on the ground, smothering the flames with their bodies and patting him with their hands. He was flown to the hospital by State Police emergency helicopter. In addition to probing the ignition of the fire, police and fire investigators are investigating the storage of gasoline. The gasoline was in a proper plastic container, DiDonato said, but did not have a cap. ShopRite officials have said that the container was not theirs, DiDonato said. Tresch’s wife said that tomorrow doctors are scheduled to determine whether her husband’s lungs were injured in the blaze. If not, ‘‘then they can begin the skin grafts,’’ she said. ‘‘They’ve told me to expect him to be there for two months, then go to rehabilitation.’’ His wife and their son Richard are the only ones allowed in to see Tresch, in two-hour segments twice a day. All three work at supermarkets, Richard for Foodarama Supermarkets, and Jean for Stop & Shop. Jean Tresch said she is also waiting for more information about how the fire started. Police told her ‘‘it wasn’t the (store) intercom. They took his cell phone to investigate that.’’ Jean Tresch said she is getting tremendous support from her husband’s co-workers and management at Foodarama Supermarkets, which owns 22 ShopRites in central New Jersey. Company President Richard Saker called her several times to check in, she said. Workers from Tresch’s store, and other stores where he has worked, have also called. ‘‘At the Edison ShopRite, where he used to work, they have told me they will set up a blood drive,’’ Jean Tresch said. In the Montgomery store, Tresch’s photo is displayed about the courtesy desk, surrounded by photos of other managers on a sign announcing ‘‘Our World Class Management Team.’’ Just a few days ago, he brought a costumed Santa and Mrs. Claus to the store for a holiday celebration. Tresch also posed for pictures then. Gowin, the ShopRite spokeswoman, said shoppers have been asking if they can help. ‘‘You develop a relationship with a store,’’ she said. Shopper Helen Corvelyn of Bordentown said she was shocked to hear of the accident. ‘‘My prayers are with him, especially over the holidays,’’ she said. Employees said they were devastated. ‘‘He’s a great guy to work for,’’ said night manager Neil Shastri. The store manager’s family also is getting support from the quiet East Brunswick neighborhood of Cape Cod- and ranch-style homes where they have lived more than 25 years. ‘‘They’re my best neighbors,’’ Jean Tresch said. She said her husband’s cockatiel, Spike, misses her owner as much as anyone. The gray-and-yellow bird walks around the house, following family members. ‘‘She paces back and forth, waiting for him to come home,’’ she said.

Arson suspected in fatal house trailer fire in Franklin Twp.
Source: Joe Tyrell/The Star-Ledger December 22, 2004

A woman’s body was found yesterday inside a burning house trailer in Franklin Township. The victim, who was not identified, was discovered just inside the door to the trailer, said Somerset County Prosecutor Wayne Forrest. Arson is suspected, although investigators were waiting for the medical examiner to remove the body last night before searching for a cause. Forrest said a South Brunswick police lieutenant driving on Route 27 about 4:30 p.m. saw the burning trailer at the end of a gravel driveway by a white house. Lt. Patrick Owens found the door locked, broke in, and discovered the body. Exterior damage to the trailer was limited to the area around the door, but Forrest said it was unclear how much of the interior had burned. Authorities did not identify the owner of the nearby house, where it appeared no one was at home last night, Forrest said. ‘‘We know who should be there, but we’re not certain whether’’ it was the fire victim, he said. The scene is about 60 feet from the Kingston Mall, but the property is secluded. A fenced, weeded lot and a line of gazebos and sheds for sale in the shopping center parking lot shield it from shoppers and store owners. To the rear of the property are an unpainted wood structure, apparently a converted barn, and woods. More woods flank the property to the north, and the next driveway is a quarry entrance. The trailer was parked toward the rear of the house, with its door facing the building.

Blaze claims pet dog
Source: The Home News Tribune December 20, 2004
Photos: Mark R. Sullivan, The Home News Tribune

A house fire ripped through a Redwood Avenue home yesterday morning, leaving a man homeless and his pet Rottweiler dead. The fire broke out at 91 Redwood Ave. about 9:40 a.m. police said. The home's owner and sole occupant, AnthonyTomasso, was not home at the time, police said. The fire destroyed the house, leaving only a skeleton, authorities said. The fire also caused minor damage to a neighboring house, said Edison Fire Chief G. Robert Campbell, melting the home's siding. No firefighters were injured while fighting the blaze, said Campbell. The fire is believed to have started in the vicinity of the kitchen, Campbell said, adding the fire was still being investigated. Tomasso had adopted the pet Rottweiler who died in the blaze from a shelter just three weeks before, said his father Ralph Tomasso, adding the dog had a history of abuse. Anthony Tomasso had named the 1-year-old female dog Sausage, Ralph Tomasso said. Anthony Tomasso, who moved to the house from South River three years ago, gathered with friends and relatives at a neighbor's house yesterday afternoon. "It's unfortunate, especially this time of year," said Ralph Tomasso. "But it'll be taken care of."

Left: Edison firefighters outside 91 Redwood Ave., where fire damaged a home. The fire was reported about 9:30 a.m. and was quickly brought under control. Right: As a Edison firefighter emerged from 91 Redwood Ave., a melted garbage can lay on the front lawn of the home.

A brush fire in an isolated section of Raritan Center burned about 25 acres yesterday in Edison and damaged an abandoned building, officials said. About 30 firefighters from Edison, South Plainfield, East Brunswick and the State Forest Service put out the fire that apparently started accidentally about 12:50 p.m. off Olympic Drive, said Deputy Edison Fire Chief Ralph Ambrosio. The fire, which burned land just north of the Raritan River, was extinguished shortly before 3 p.m. Nobody was injured and nobody was evacuated, Ambrosio said.

Avenel unit sings again for woman, elderly residents
Source: Reva McEachern/The Home News Tribune December 13, 2004
Photos: Reena Rose Sibayan/Special to The Home News Tribune

Members of Avenel Volunteer Fire Company 1 met yesterday evening at the Thorn residence in Sewaren to sing carols and bring holiday cheer. For 37 years Avenel Volunteer Fire Company 1 has been visiting handicapped and elderly persons during the holidays. According to John Mitch, former fire commissioner and fire chief, and current public information officer, "Every Christmas we go out and sing to shut-ins or people who spend the holiday by themselves and could use a little cheering up." At approximately 6:15 p.m., a fire engine-led caravan raced to the home of Christine "Chrissy" Thorn on Sherman Street in Sewaren, with

Santa and Mrs. Clause in tow. In addition to the fire engine, the caravan included two other fire company vehicles and seven passenger vehicles. A total of 43 fire company members, auxiliary members and their families. Chrissy, who has suffered from cerebral palsy since birth and is confined to a wheelchair, was the center of attention last night as she gazed up at Santa and smiled in earnest at all those who had come to bring her and her family good cheer. The Thorn home was overflowing with the spirit of Christmas. There was a Christmas tree in both the living and dining rooms, as well as two miniature landscapes of Christmas towns, both with fully-functioning model trains. Chrissy was surrounded by friends and family, and the room was full of merriment as everyone sang "Silent Night," "Jingle Bells" and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." Chrissy sat at the head of the kitchen table where the Thorns had provided cookies, coffee and homemade fruit juice for the guests.

After caroling, Santa asked Chrissy what she wanted for Christmas. Everyone in the room paid close attention as she responded, "I need a new phone, because whenever I'm on it, it cuts out on me." She also said later that she wanted new socks, "for when I go to bed, because my feet get cold at night." Avenel Fire Co. 1 has been visiting Chrissy for 37 years, since she was two-years-old, according to Chrissy's father, Jim Thorn. The fire company began visiting Chrissy when the Thorn family resided in Avenel, and continued to visit when the family moved to Iselin and now in Sewaren, Jim Thorn said. Each year the fire company gives the Thorn family a new ornament for their Christmas tree, which according to Mitch, "They hang from the tree and reminisce." The Thorn family has built a tight bond with Avenel Volunteer Fire Co. "Most of these folks have been coming here for years, since they were kids. I watched them all grow up and now their bringing their kids," Jim Thorn said. "They all knew me since I was little. They treat me nice, like I was a member of their family," Chrissy said. The group also visited three homes of elderly residents in Avenel. "It's all about bringing good cheer," Mitch said.

Don't Let This Happen To You
Source: The Star-Ledger, December 7, 2004

Photo: George Olivar/For The Star-Ledger

Firefighters get ready to extinguish a Christmas tree yesterday at the Middlesex County
Fire Academy in Sayreville. The demonstration was meant to stress the importance of
exercising care with live Christmas trees. Here are some tips to help prevent your tree
from becoming a fire hazard, offered by the office of Assemblyman John Wisniewski
(D-Middlesex): Needles should be green and hard to pull back from the branches and
should not fall off when you shake the tree. Tree trunks should be sticky to the touch.
Cut one inch off the trunk to help it absorb water, and place the tree in a stand that holds
at least a gallon of water. Leave the tree outside until you are ready to decorate it.
Secure the tree with a wire to keep it from tipping. Don’t put the tree near a heating
source such as a fireplace or heater, and don’t drop or flick cigarettes near the tree.
Don’t keep the tree longer than two weeks.

Army private lived to serve others, even as a boy, uniforms defined Stephen Benish
Source: Joe Ryan/The Star-Ledger, December 7, 2004

Photo: Scott Lituchy/The Star-Ledger
Cranford firefighters lift the casket of Stephen Benish from a fire truck before his funeral
yesterday at St. Agnes Roman Catholic Church in Clark.

Stephen Benish spent most of his life in uniform. From Boy Scout to Explorer to volunteer firefighter, Benish was always eager to serve in those classic small town American ways. But after 9/11, the stakes got higher and Benish joined the Army. Yesterday’s funeral for Benish, who was killed last week while on a foot patrol in Iraq, brought those aspects of his life together, dramatically, for the first and last time. As the funeral procession ended in front of St. Agnes Roman Catholic Church in Clark, Army Pfc. Stephen C. Benish’s flag-draped casket rested atop a gleaming red fire engine. It was soon surrounded by four firefighters in dress blues wearing white gloves, who gently lowered the coffin to a cadre of seven white-gloved U.S. Army pallbearers. As a firefighters’ pipe-and-drum corps in traditional kilts played a staccato dirge under a cold gray sky, the Army pallbearers solemnly marched into the church. Neighbors stood on their front lawns with hands over their hearts. Schoolchildren strained on tiptoes to watch from windows. Inside the church, some 500 people waited for the local boy who’d gone off to Iraq and, in their eyes, came home a hero. ‘‘Stephen did not die in vain, and he will not be forgotten’’ Monsignor James S. Choma said from the pulpit of the church in which Benish grew up. ‘‘He is one of our local modern-day heroes.’’ Benish, 20, was killed by insurgent gunfire Nov. 28 near Ramadi, an embattled city 70 miles west of Baghdad. Benish, a volunteer firefighter, lived in Linden, but grew up in Clark. He was the 37 th serviceman with New Jersey ties to die in Iraq, and his death fell at the end of the bloodiest month for U.S. troops there since April, with 134 casualties. Acting Gov. Richard J. Codey ordered all flags in the state to fly at half staff in Benish’s honor. Sen. Jon Corzine (D-N.J.) attended his funeral. The senator, along with hundreds of others, heard tales of a tall, lanky young man who aspired from a young age to bravely risk his own safety for that of others. Benish had been a Boy Scout and joined the Cranford Fire Department Explorers program when he was 12. Four years later, he was sleeping with a fire scanner beside his bed. At the squawk of an emergency, Choma said, Benish would be dressed and out the door, racing to the scene, hoping there was something he could do to help. ‘‘He put the needs of others before his own needs, fears and dreams,’’ the monsignor said. Benish became a volunteer callman for the Cranford Fire Department at 18 and enlisted in the Army after graduating from Arthur L. Johnson High School in Clark. ‘‘He wanted to protect our country and to fight terrorism,’’ Choma said. Before heading to Iraq in August, Benish’s unit was stationed at Camp Casey in South Korea . There, he ran into a distant relative, Brig. Gen. Richard McCabe. The general asked the private: ‘‘How do you feel about going to Iraq?’’ Benish, who stood about 6 feet, 6 inches, looked down into the general’s eyes and answered without hesitating. ‘‘He said, ‘Well, that’s what I came here for, to contribute,’ ’’ McCabe said yesterday during a eulogy. Benish’s sister, Kelly, a college student, recalled how her big brother would come to her aid time and time again during adolescence. He saved her when schoolyard bullies picked on her during kickball games, when she got stuck in a snow drift and when she fell into a swimming pool without water wings. ‘‘My brother was the most caring person I’ve ever known,’’ she said. The funeral Mass ended, and beret-clad soldiers hoisted the casket back atop the fire engine. The gray clouds outside gave way to an icy rain, as the firefighters’ bagpipes wailed. Scores of vehicles wound through Clark to St. Gertrude Cemetery in Colonia. Rain fell on the gravestones, as the Army bugler played taps.

Blaze in Roselle Park forces evacuation of movie theater - December 5
Source: Judith Lucas/The Star-Ledger, December 6, 2004 Photos: Jennifer Brown/The Star-Ledger

A three-alarm fire gutted a masonry structure in the heart of Roselle Park’s commercial district yesterday, butthere were no injuries. Some 80 people had to be evacuated from the adjacent Park Cinema movie theater asthe fast-moving blaze enveloped the structure at 31-35 Westfield Ave. and clouded the area with thick black smoke. The fire broke out around 2:45 p.m., authorities said. Firefighters from Elizabeth, Kenilworth, Clark and Roselle assisted Roselle Park in dousing the flames. When we arrived, it was fully involved,’’ said Roselle Park police Sgt. Owen Iungerman. The fire was concentrated in Mimi’s Nails but spread to an insurance office and vacant space next door. The structure was charred inside and out, said Roselle Park Fire Chief Joe Signorello. ‘‘The fire was just rolling out the windows. ‘‘The whole interior is gutted,’’ Signorello said. ‘‘We are having the arson investigators check out what happened.’’ It took two hours to put out the fire, Signorello said. The fire forced police to shut two blocks of Westfield Avenue from Walnut to Locust streets. ‘‘I am so upset,’’ said building owner Joseph Tamman. ‘‘Thank God nobody got hurt. Everything can be replaced.’’ Union County Arson Task Force Capt. Gary Steitz said an investigation is under way.‘‘We are trying to determine the cause of the fire. We don’t know what happened,’’ he said.

Firefighters battle a three-alarmer in Roselle Park from the roof of the building on Westfield Avenue yesterday.


After the fire was brought under control, firefighters continue to wet
down the inside. Its owner said, ‘‘Thank God nobody got hurt.’’

S. Brunswick man charged with arson - December 2
Source: The Star-Ledger, December 3, 2004

A 39-year-old township man was charged yesterday with aggravated arson after his Nassau Road home caught fire, police said. Authorities charged Carl Karmas in the Wednesday evening fire after they found that an accelerant was used to start the blaze, police said. An officer driving by Karmas’ home at 7:10 p.m. saw flames and contacted fire authorities, police said. Karmas was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick for treatment of smoke inhalation. He remained in fair condition yesterday, a hospital spokeswoman said. Two fire companies contained the blaze within 20 minutes. A dog was found dead in the house, police said.

Blaze destroys New Brunswick homes - December 2
Source: Rosa Cirianni/The Star-Ledger, December 3, 2004
Photos: Patti Sapone/The Star-Ledger

A grease fire that started in a kitchen destroyed two units in a New Brunswick apartment complex yesterday. Darnell Torres, 18, left a pot of cooking oil on the front burner of his electric stove, which caught fire when he left the room, said William H. Petry Jr., fire official for the city fire department. Torres was home with his girlfriend when the fire occurred at 12:33 p.m., said Frank Toia, fire captain. Torres’ kitchen went up in flames after he threw a bucket of water onto the grease fire in an effort to put it out, said Toia. The blaze destroyed Torres’ apartment and the apartment above him in building 18 at the Raritan Crossing apartment complex off Route 18. Other apartments in the brick building were not affected and no one suffered injuries. His upstairs neighbor, Kaseem Andrews, 20, said he was in his bedroom when he smelled smoke and went into his kitchen to make sure all his appliances were turned off. His mother then woke up and smelled fumes emanating from downstairs. Both evacuated, and Andrews went knocking on the doors of his neighbors. Andrews said he saw flames spewing from an air-conditioning unit connected to the outside of Torres’ apartment and began kicking the door to get Torres’ attention. Both families will be temporarily housed in other Raritan Crossing apartments,
said Marshall Rosen of the apartment management organization. Torres and his mother, Robin Scrubb, tried to salvage whatever they could from their charred apartment. Both declined to be interviewed.

 
Left: Darnell Torres, 18, stands in his apartment, where the fire started. Right: New Brunswick firefighters battle the blaze at Raritan Crossing, which began as a grease fire on a stove.


Robin Scrubb is comforted by her husband Kevin after the fire at the
apartment she shares with her son Darnell Torres.

Two New Brunswick families homeless after blaze - December 2
Source: Dina Guirguis/The Home News Tribune December 3, 2004
Photos: Jody Somers/The Home News Tribune

Two families are homeless after a fire severely damaged their apartments at the Raritan Crossing development off Route 1. No one was injured in the fire that broke out around 12:30 p.m. yesterday in the kitchen of the downstairs unit of a two-story building with 12 apartments on Manor Crescent Drive, said New Brunswick fire official William Petry Jr. According Petry, the fire began when 18-year-old

Darnell Torres, a resident of the downstairs unit, left a pot of boiling oil on the stove and went into the other room. Kaseem Andrews and his mother Marsha Martin -- residents of the apartment directly above Torres' unit -- smelled smoke and went downstairs to see what was going on. Upon hearing the knocking, Torres, who was in the apartment with a friend, emerged from the rear bedroom and dumped a bucket of water on the stove, causing the fire to spread.

Firefighters arrived at the scene at 12:35 p.m. and the fire was under control by 12:57 p.m. The other units in the building were evacuated, but residents were permitted to return to their homes by mid-afternoon. Front and back windows of both apartments were blown out and the outside and inside walls of the apartments were covered in black soot. While firefighters spent most of the afternoon removing charred, unrecognizable pieces of furniture from the downstairs apartment, friends comforted Torres, who sat on a stoop near his apartment, with his head in his hands, unable to speak about what happened. Torres had put the pot on the stove to make some fried chicken for lunch. Torres lived in the apartment with his mother, Robin Scrubb, who was crying after she came home to find her home destroyed. According to Andrews, after he and Torres were unable to put out the fire, they knocked on all the doors to alert the other residents. "My mother worked hard for everything in that apartment and it's all gone in a matter of seconds," Andrews said. Andrews' pet boa python -- a 13-year-

old snake named Bobo -- was rescued from the apartment by firefighters. "I've had that thing since I was 7 years old," Andrews said. "He seems OK, just a little confused." Martin and her husband were allowed to gather some belongings from their apartment, including piles of clothes and pictures. Marshall Rosen, the owner of Raritan Crossing, which consists of 370 apartments, said that he and the property manager were working with the families to relocate them to other apartments in the complex. "The most important thing was that nobody was hurt," Rosen said. "Accidents happen and this is certainly a time that people need help."

 

 

Man hurt at blaze in S. Brunswick - December 1
(Source: Lisa Vernon-Sparks/The Home News Tribune, December 2)

A township man was injured last night during a two-alarm fire at his home, authorities said yesterday. The man, whose name was unavailable last night, was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, according to police detective Jim Ryan. The fire, which broke out about 7:10 p.m., was contained to the ranch-style home at 12 Nassau Road, Ryan said. A resident of nearby Woodrow Road saw the fire when he came out his back door and described it as being a "ball of flames." An off-duty police office spotted the fire and made the call to authorities. Firefighters were able to put the fire out within 20 minutes of the call, Ryan said. About three-quarters of the home was damaged, Ryan said. Kendall Park and Monmouth Junction fire departments responded to the scene. The fire is under investigation and is being labled suspicious for now, Ryan said.