No injuries reported in fire at vacant unit
Source: The Star-Ledger, December 21, 2005

CARTERET: A vacant Roosevelt Avenue apartment was damaged by fire early yesterday, forcing neighbors to relocate for the night, authorities said. There were no reported injuries in the fire at the River Run apartments, which police officers on patrol reported at 12:08 a.m., police said. The officers reported seeing flames through the windows of the apartment, authorities said. Firefighters extinguished the blaze in an hour, officials said. The fire started in the kitchen and spread to parts of the dining room, causing heat and water damage throughout the twofloor apartment, authorities said. The cause of the fire is under investigation, officials said.

Room in Rt. 9 hotel damaged by fire
Source: The Star-Ledger, December 20, 2005

WOODBRIDGE: A fire damaged a room at the Hampton Inn on Route 9, police said yesterday. No one was injured in the fire, which was reported at 8:25 a.m. Friday, police said. A maid told police that she was cleaning rooms when she smelled smoke and heard a sizzling sound on the fifth floor, which triggered an alarm, police said. Guests and employees were evacuated, police said, and there was extensive smoke and water damage to the fifth floor and portions of the fourth floor. Officials said the fire originated in a fifth-floor room, but the cause remained unknown yesterday, police said.

FIRE DEVOURS STRIP MALL
Four stores lost in Woodbridge blaze
Source: Mary Ann Bourbea, The Home News Tribune, December 15, 2005

WOODBRIDGE — A strip mall on New Brunswick Avenue containing four stores burned to the ground yesterday, sending smoke billowing into the air. The plume from the fire was visible for miles in the bright morning sky. Fire officials arrived at the scene at 8:24 a.m. to find the brick building fully engulfed in flames. No one was hurt during the blaze, but residents lost some cherished, longtime businesses. Ling's Kitchen and Pauline's II Catering Service were lost, as well as Salon 501 and Rose Furniture Gallery. More than 100 onlookers braved the icy temperatures, many clutching steaming cups of coffee, to watch from across the street as firefighters battled the blaze. Ladder trucks situated well above the flames sent heavy streams of water onto the flaming structure. Television news cameras interviewed residents and officials while news helicopters hovered overhead. Officials have not determined a cause of the blaze but believe it started in the furniture store, said Walter Hanks, director of emergency services for Woodbridge Township. Hanks said the fire went into the cockloft area, where it spread almost immediately. "It's a major loss to the area," he said. "Thank God no one was hurt." About 50 firefighters from Woodbridge, Carteret and Perth Amboy battled the blaze at the corner of New Brunswick Avenue and Ling Street. New Brunswick Avenue remained closed last night in both directions from Crows Mill Road to King George Road and power and gas lines to area homes and businesses remained off. At 9:45 a.m., the raging fire caused the upper facade of the brick building to collapse onto the sidewalk. "It almost looked like it was under control and then it just busted through the roof," said Woodbridge Mayor Frank G. Pelzman, who arrived at the scene minutes after being notified. "It's amazing how in tune they are, knowing just what to do. I heard somebody tell the guys to get off the roof and one or two minutes later, the whole facade collapsed." Pelzman spoke of how firefighters sprayed water from above into an three-foot-wide alleyway that separated the strip mall from a two-story home that housed a psychic on the first floor. The building suffered relatively minor damage and the lone resident was safely evacuated from her home. "They did a great job," Pelzman said. Bill Yuhas, a lifelong resident of Fords, said he used to live in the house that firefighters saved from the blaze. "I'm surprised that it didn't go up with everything else," he said. "And for this to happen at this time of year, it's a disaster." Councilman Richard A. Dalina was Christmas shopping in Woodbridge when he got a call from his wife that there was a huge fire just blocks away from their home. When he arrived at the scene, he said he saw flames reaching 50 feet into the air. "The sad part is that New Brunswick Avenue was just renovated," he said. "We just finished a $4 million project two weeks ago, with brick paver sidewalks and decorative lighting. For something like this to happen is a tragedy." Hanks said the freezing temperatures made fighting the fire more difficult because firefighters had to deal with freezing water lines and icy streets in addition to keeping themselves warm. "It was 11 degrees when we got here and the ground froze immediately," he said. "We have to rotate guys because we can't keep them in the elements too long. Some rotate quicker than others, depending on their jobs. A pump operator can stay longer because he gets heat from the engine. If a guy gets wet, he's got to get out quicker." Ten firefighters at a time took half-hour breaks in EMS rescue trucks and a Mobile Tactical Command Unit vehicle. Many onlookers mourned the loss of two of their favorite eateries. The only recognizable sign left was one window in Pauline's restaurant that was painted with a picturesque scene of Venice, Italy. Mike Fioretti of Fords was exercising at his gym when he saw a television news report about the fire. He arrived at the scene, dismayed to find Ling's Kitchen was gone. "It was the best Chinese food I ever had," he said. "It was a thriving business. I hope they rebuild." And rebuild they will, said owner John Ling who, clutching his young son, watched his family's 25-year-old business burn to the ground. "I plan to rebuild," he said. "I'm a very spiritual person and I believe things happen for a reason. The new restaurant won't be bigger — it will be exactly the same, but in a new phase, a new era. We need the town of Fords and the town of Fords needs us." Ling was grateful to the firefighters who tried valiantly to save his business. "We know the members of the fire department really well," he said. "They're some of our best customers." Ling said the saddest part was that his sister-in-law was a witness to the fire. "She started the business with my brother, who died a few years ago," he said. "This was her last link to him. There were a lot of memories in there."

Left: Fire rages through a strip mall on New Brunswick Avenue in Fords yesterday as firefighters work the scene. Right: Firefighters aim their spray into the building about twenty minutes before the roof collapsed as the fire consumed the building. (Photos: Joe McLaughlin, The Home News Tribune)

BLAZE DESTROYS FORDS BUSINESSES
Owners vow to rebuild after morning fire
Source: Tom Haydon and Brian Donohue, Photos: Chris Faytok, The Star-Ledger, December 15, 2005

Serge Siorginatonio had just opened the door to Pauline’s Cafe II in the Fords section of Woodbridge yesterday when he smelled something burning. After noticing wisps of white coming through the wall from the adjacent Rose Furniture Gallery, he ran back outside to see the windows of the store bulging out. ‘‘I looked through that window and I saw fire right there, and I couldn’t see any farther,’’ Siorginatonio said. Moments later, Siorginatonio said, the fire ‘‘just took off,’’ spreading to Pauline’s and two other businesses in the New Brunswick Avenue building. More than 50 firefighters from Woodbridge, Carteret and Perth Amboy battled the blaze in subfreezing temperatures. The fire, which was reported at 8:24 a.m., also destroyed a nail salon and a Chinese restaurant that had been in business for 25 years. Woodbridge authorities who were still investigating the cause of the blaze late yesterday said it appeared the fire started in either Pauline’s or the furniture store, and the flames burned up to the ceiling and into an open space just below the roof and spread across to the other stores. A large facade on the front of the building that extended above the roof burned and collapsed onto the sidewalk just as firefighters pulled back into the street, said Walter Hanks, township emergency management director. ‘‘They got out just in time,’’ Hanks said. John Ling, owner of Ling’s Kitchen Chinese restaurant, arrived on the scene to see fire engulfing Pauline’s and the furniture store, but it had not yet spread to his business or the nail salon. While Ling noticed that most of the building was destroyed, he thought the restaurant his family has run for 25 years would be spared. Then, the flames erupted again, leaping across the rooftop and igniting the salon and his restaurant. As the fire engulfed the building, he silently watched from across the street holding his 3-year-old son Travis cheek-to-cheek. ‘‘We’re not going anywhere,’’ he said. ‘‘We started here. We were the only game in town. You can’t give up.’’ He called his wife, who was attending the funeral of her 104-year-old great-grandmother, to give her the news. Ling’s nephew, Daniel Chin, whose mother owns the building, was taking his mother to Sloan-Kettering for her cancer treatment when they received a call that the building was ablaze. His mother’s battle with cancer, he said, was helping the family put the loss in perspective. ‘‘Thank God no one was hurt,’’ he said. ‘‘We can build this back up. This is minor compared to what she’s going through.’’ Rose McKenzie, owner of Rose Furniture Gallery, arrived to work to find flames engulfing the building. She too, vowed to rebuild. A naturalized U.S. citizen from Jamaica, she had worked for 20 years at Giles Furniture Co. in Perth Amboy before saving enough to open her own store 19 months ago. ‘‘It seems like I’m dreaming right now,’’ she said as she watched the flames. ‘‘I can’t believe it. It doesn’t seem real. ‘‘We put everything we had into that just to get it going,’’ she said. ‘‘It’s all up in smoke now.’’ No one was injured in the fire, which was brought under control about 10:30 a.m. About 20 people in surrounding homes were briefly evacuated to get them out of the billowing smoke that was visible from miles away. Cold temperatures forced firefighters to work in shifts and take breaks to warm up in a mobile tactical police command post and a rescue squad truck. ‘‘Our air packs started to freeze up,’’ Fords firefighter Brian Henry said. Henry, the company training officer and a former fire chief, said moisture got into the air hose lines and froze. ‘‘We had to keep changing the packs,’’ Henry said as he stood with ice caked on his helmet, visor, coat and pants, and layered on the face mask for his air pack. ‘‘We’re going to have a heck of a time picking up the frozen hoses,’’ he said. Woodbridge recently completed a $4.5 million improvement project along New Brunswick Avenue, putting in nearly a mile of sidewalk pavers and new street lights, with the last of the work completed just two weeks ago, Mayor Frank Pelzman said. The remains of the burned facade covered the sidewalk in front of the destroyed store. ‘‘We were trying to get people to come into the vacant stores. Now we’ll have to get help to renovate this area (that was burned),’’ Pelzman said. The property had an assessed value of $161,300, according to township records. Late yesterday afternoon the township brought in heavy equipment to tear down the remaining walls that were in danger of collapsing and were impeding access for investigators trying to determine the cause of the blaze. Authorities determined the fire started on the first floor, but could not say exactly where or whether it appeared suspicious. S iorginatonio worried about catering orders customers made for Christmas parties at Pauline’s, which is owned by his sister, Paula Maietta and her husband, Rocco. He said his sister’s other restaurant, Pauline’s in Matawan, may be able to handle those parties. Rocco Maietta vowed to rebuild, although he said the family may begin looking for a new location rather than wait for a building to be built on the same spot. ‘‘We’ll be back,’’ he said.

Though no one was hurt, the morning cold forced firefighters to work in shifts to stay warm and to keep their air packs from freezing up. Above, with icicles hanging from their helmets, firefighters take a break.

Smoke billows along New Brunswick Avenue as firefighters work to contain a blaze that engulfed four businesses yesterday. ‘‘It seems like I’m dreaming right now,’’ Rose McKenzie, owner of Rose Furniture Gallery, said as she watched the flames. ‘‘I can’t believe it. It doesn’t seem real.’’

New fire rescue vessel pumps up county
Source: Sue Epstein, The Star-Ledger, December 15, 2005

Firefighters in Middlesex County towns that border waterways have a new tool to fight fires: a 40-foot-long, red and white, state of-the-art fire rescue boat that will be permanently docked in Perth Amboy. Known as Marine One, the boat was dedicated yesterday at Perth Amboy’s historic ferry pier, at the foot of Smith and Front streets, after its crew demonstrated some of the vessel’s abilities, including shooting high-powered jets of water into the air while pivoting in a circle. The boat was purchased with $500,000 in federal homeland security funds after Middlesex County entered into an agreement with Perth Amboy to buy the vessel. The city will take ownership and operate the vessel, which will cover Carteret, Edison, New Brunswick, East Brunswick, Highland Park, Old Bridge, Sayreville, South River and Woodbridge, in addition to Perth Amboy. All of those communities have one or more borders on Raritan Bay, the Raritan River or the Arthur Kill. ‘‘This new fire-rescue-patrol boat is the largest of three vessels to be purchased by the county with homeland security funds,’’ Freeholder Christopher Rafano, chairman of the county law and public safety committee, said at yesterday’s ceremonies. ‘‘Together, they will better enable us to protect our homes and businesses along our waterfront and protect those using our waterways.’’ Rafano said the vessel dedicated yesterday can operate in 30 inches of water when fully loaded and can discharge 2,400 gallons of water per minute. The boat has twin jet propulsion with a top speed of about 35 knots. It can operate uninterrupted for eight hours and is equipped with a remote-control roofmounted nozzle and a manually controlled bow nozzle that can project a stream of water approximately 200 feet. Perth Amboy Fire Director Larry Cattano said members of his department have been training for a year and a half to operate the boat. He said that depending on the operation, it will have a crew of two to six people. Mayor Joseph Vas said the boat ‘‘will provide water-based chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive rescue and fire services.’’ Before the county acquired Marine One, Vas said, ‘‘the closest fireboat was located in New York, more than a one-and-a-half-hour response time to our area.’’ The boat also will be available to battle fires in Staten Island and Bayonne. He and other speakers noted that Perth Amboy and nearby coastal towns up and down the Arthur Kill have some of the most volatile industries in the nation — oil refineries and chemical plants — that also relied on help from New York in the event of a fire or explosion. Members of several fire departments from around Middlesex County and New Jersey, the New York Fire Department and the U.S. Coast Guard were present for yesterday’s ceremonies. The New York department also sent one of its large fireboats to participate in the ceremonies.

Purchased with $500,000 in federal homeland security funds, Marine One shows off its pumping abilities in Perth Amboy yesterday. (Photo: Christopher Barth, for the Star-Ledger)

House and puppy saved by boy’s quick response
Source: Jay Bodas, Woodbridge Sentinel, November 30, 2005
Photo: Toni Prongay and Margaret Paszinski/For the Woodbridge Sentinel

COLONIA — Patrick McGeehan, a 13-year-old Colonia youth, is now the hero of Regal Drive after doing his part to thwart a house fire several weeks ago. “A fire official said the heat was so intense that if Patrick did not see it when he did, the home probably would have burned down,” said Regal Drive resident Margaret Paszinski. It all began on the afternoon of Nov. 11, a Friday. Patrick was enjoying his usual routine riding his bicycle around the neighborhood when he saw flames leaping from the front window of a neighbor’s house. “I was riding around the block, and I just happened to go by the house,” Patrick said after the incident. “I glanced over and saw the flames in the front window, and I went home, two doors down, and got my dad. I told him what I saw, and we went back out together. Ms. Paszinski was outside, and they called the ambulance.” Had Patrick not told his father about it immediately, the fire likely would have consumed the house, Paszinski said. “A fire official said it was burning for a while, and it was so hot, things were melting in there,” Paszinski said. “If he hadn’t done what he did, it would have destroyed the house.” “Three fire trucks came out, and the fire department put the fire out,” said Patrick’s father, Edward. “Another 20 minutes to a half an hour, and the house would have been completely gone. Patrick rode his bike just in time.” But Patrick saved more than the house. His quick response saved the life of a puppy that was found hiding in an upstairs bedroom. “They found a puppy underneath a bed hiding in the bedroom,” Paszinski said. The home’s residents could not be reached for comment. But Patrick’s neighbors will not soon forget his quickness in the face of crisis. “The fire official said, ‘This child deserves a big thank you,’ ” Paszinski said. “Thank God his eyes saw it; he saved the house. We were all very proud of him, and how quick thinking and responsible he is, though we always knew he was that kind of kid. Patrick really is our hero.”

Bakery oven fire spread into roof
Source: The Star-Ledger, November 30, 2005

WOODBRIDGE: A fire in a commercial bakery oven spread into the roof of the building before firefighters from across the township and Perth Amboy extinguished the blaze early yesterday. Forty-five firefighters from Woodbridge, Port Reading, Fords, Avenel, Iselin and Perth Amboy attacked the fire reported around 6:20 a.m. at the Teixeira Bakery at 1 Amboy Ave. Firefighters had to cut holes in the building’s roof to reach the blaze, township fire Capt. Jeffrey Moran said. One firefighter was injured and taken to JFK Medical Center in Edison, Moran said. The identity of the injured man was not available yesterday. The fire, which closed the bakery, initially appeared to have been started by an electrical malfunction, authorities said.

Sayreville gets help to combat heart attacks
Source: Saba Ali, The Star-Ledger, November 2, 2005

The Sayreville Fire Department was the first to receive an automatic external defibrillator yesterday from a state-funded program aimed at providing about 1,000 of the life-saving devices to fire departments throughout New Jersey. State Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex) and Department of Community Affairs Acting Commissioner Charles A. Richman presented the borough with a unit at the President Park Firehouse in Parlin. ‘‘Automated external defibrillators save lives. There is an 80 percent survival rating when an AED is used within the first three minutes of a heart attack,’’ Wisniewski said in a news release. The defibrillators monitor a person’s heart rhythm. By placing special pads on the victim’s chest, it can recognize sudden cardiac arrest and can shock the heart if needed. Each unit costs about $1,000, and includes two adult pads, one pediatric pad, a demonstration video, data card, reader and software. The units are provided by LifeSavers Inc. located in West Caldwell. Wisniewski, who also serves as chairman of the New Jersey Fire Safety Commission, helped write the language to allocate $1 million in the 2006 budget. Municipalities will receive the units in the order that their applications were received by the DCA. Deadlines for the application are Nov. 4. Four hundred municipalities or fire districts have applied for the AED unit. They will be receiving the units immediately, said Jennifer Monaghan, spokeswoman for the DCA. The Assemblyman’s hometown was the first to receive the AED unit because it was one of the first to send in an application, Wisniewski said. ‘‘In New Jersey, the number one cause of firefighter fatalities is cardiac events. In 2003, every New Jersey firefighter who died in the line of duty died as a result of a cardiac arrest,’’ Wisniewski said.

Firefighters extinguish blaze in laundry room
Source: The Star-Ledger, October 6, 2005

MONROE: Firefighters responding to an apartment fire at the Whittingham adult community yesterday found a small blaze in a laundry room, police said. Officers received a call at 6:32 a.m. yesterday about a fire at an empty second-floor unit on Winthrop Road. Firefighters located the fire and quickly extinguished it. The apartment sustained severe smoke damage but minimal fire damage. Authorities said the cause of the fire is unknown.