Fire guts apartments in two city buildings

Tenants relocated with
assistance of Red Cross
and city agencies
By carolyn o’connell
Staff Writer

Fire departments from Long Branch, Monmouth Beach, Oceanport, Allenhurst, Deal and Fort Monmouth respond to a Long Branch building fire on Sunday. Silvia Brodrick (l) owned the building on Pavilion Avenue and a travel agency located on the first floor.

LONG BRANCH — Smoldering cigarette butts are the suspected cause of a structure fire that led to the evacuation of 31 tenants of two Pavilion Avenue apartment buildings.

According to fire official Kevin Hayes Jr., the fire originated at 239 Pavilion Ave. in an alley but quickly spread via a staircase, a common area used by the residents, from the ground floor to second floor. The fire also spread to the building next door, 237 Pavilion Ave.

"Tenants had been discarding cigarette butts, which had fallen down into the roof between 239 and 237 Pavilion," said Hayes. "The butts smoldered, combusting leaves and paper."

He added, "The fire traveled vertically to the third floor into the framing of the roof."

PHOTOS BY Chris Kelly

A New Jersey Transit officer picking up Chinese food at the Joy House Restaurant on Third and Pavilion Avenues at approximately 1 p.m. Saturday was the first to discover the fire, according to authorities.

Police officer Juan Vasquez met the transit officer to investigate and found the fire burning in the rear of 239 Pavilion, said Sgt. William Magarino.

"The condition of the fire became worse," said Magarino, "but officers were able to get the people living there out of the fire to safety."

Officers assisting in the evacuation were Kevin King and Robert Korn.

Manuel Aguila, Long Branch, helps a friend salvage personal items that survived a building fire at the corners of Third and Pavilion Avenues.

According to Hayes, the Independent Ladder Truck company was the first to respond, within 1 minute and 40 seconds.

Fire Chief Sam Tomaine said Tim Somers, the first paid fireman at the scene, called out a second alarm after observing heavy smoke coming from the roof. He said engines from West End, Oceanic, and Elberon engine companies were already on the way and were later followed by volunteer engines from Neptune, Phil Daly and Branchport fire houses.

Oceanic’s ladder truck, which normally would have responded to such a fire, was out for maintenance and was replaced with a responding ladder truck by the Monmouth Beach Fire Department. The Oliver Byron house, generally staffed with a fireman, also would have responded to the scene, noted Tomaine, but was at the time unmanned from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Tomaine said that additional manpower was called in from Oceanport, Deal and Allenhurst fire departments to assist with the structure fire.

A group of firefighters from Oceanport come to the assistance of fellow area firefighters who tried to quell the fire on Sunday.

Fort Monmouth and Eatontown Fire Departments also responded, Tomaine said, as the rapid intervention team specifically on standby to assist and rescue firefighters battling the blaze if so needed.

"We really thought that this would be an all-day fire," said Tomaine, "but we had a good stop."

Tomaine noted that the fire was under control within a couple of hours and the entire cleanup and investigation concluded at approximately 5 p.m.

The apartment building at 239 Pavilion suffered the heaviest damage, according to Hayes. However, both buildings were ruled uninhabitable as the electric and gas utilities shut off.

The tenants of both buildings were relocated with the assistance of the Red Cross, the city’s Office of Emergency Management and the fire prevention office.

While all the tenants were evacuated without injury, one volunteer firefighter, George Hamilton of the Oliver Byron fire house, was taken to Monmouth Medical Center, treated for fatigue and returned back to the scene, according to Tomaine.