Media Release
Contact FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Todd Bowen.
(856) 297-1650
BRIDGETON HIGH RISE
FIRE DAMAGES 6 APARTMENTS- IT’S ALL HANDS ON DECK
A fire at the Bridgeton Housing Authority’s (BHA) High
Rise apartment complex, located at 110 E. Commerce St, resulted in no injuries
and a total of 6 units becoming uninhabitable but according to Bridgeton Fire
Chief Todd Bowen, the toll could have been much worse in this 10-story building
that houses mostly senior citizens and the disabled.
The fire, which began in an apartment on the sixth floor at
approximately 4:00pm Wednesday afternoon, was an “all hands on deck” event that
saw mutual aid responses from the surrounding area including Gouldtown,
Millville, Cedarville, Upper Deerfield, Rosenhayn, and Fairton.
“We got an alarm about 4:00pm which was quickly upgraded
to an active fire. Initially four firefighters went up to 6th floor
apartment where the fire was located and while they were slowed in entering the
unit because it had been barricaded, they did a great job putting out the fire
and confining damage” Chief Bowen said.
With the need to evacuate the100-plus residents from the building,
“all hands on deck” went well beyond the 30 first responders on scene to
include everyone from Bridgeton Mayor Albert Kelly and Council President Gladys
Lugardo-Hemple and Councilman Jack Surrency; to Bethany Grace Church, Big
John’s Pizza, and C-Town Supermarket.
“The fact that so many were willing to pitch in and help
in a moment of need; it is one of the things I love most about our community”
said Mayor Albert Kelly.
While the fire itself was extinguished within minutes and
fire damage contained to a handful of units, water damage from the sprinkler
system and the need to cut electric to the building, meant that residents had to
be evacuated to nearby temporary lodging made available by Bethany Grace
Church.
Because officials did not know how long residents would
ultimately be away from their units, it was necessary to set up a floor by
floor process to let residents briefly re-enter apartments to gather essential
items such as medications, until they were able to fully re-occupy their units.
“It would have been a lot harder on residents without the
help of BHA Commissioners Iris Santiago and Rosemary Dequinzio, BHA staff, Mayor
Kelly, Council members Surrency and Lugardo-Hemple, EMS personnel, and the CATS
buses” Bowen said.
“I’m also grateful to C-Town for providing water and Big
John’s Pizza for feeding residents and first responders” added Bowen.
While officials declined to provide details on the exact
cause of the fire pending completion of the investigation process, it is
believed that the fire was deliberately set by an occupant.
The majority of the residents were able to return to
their apartments by 9:30pm Wednesday evening. Beyond the fire at the High Rise,
multiple ambulances, including from Upper Deerfield, Rosenhayn, and Fairton;
responded to 2 motor vehicle accidents that happened at roughly the same time
along Route 49 in Bridgeton.
“In addition to 7 ambulances at the car accidents; we
transported 2 patients from the High Rise and handled 6 additional EMS calls in
that same time span. We also treated several residents on the scene during the
evacuation; our 4 ambulances with the 4 mutual aid units handled the High Rise
incident, along with the other emergencies” said Bowen.
The High Rise fire comes on the heels of a larger
discussion about the pros and cons of out-sourcing EMS services and shifting to
a more volunteer-based fire department.
For officials helping out at the scene of Wednesday’s
fire, there is a concern that privatizing EMS and relying upon volunteers
instead of a professional fire department would lead to prolonged response
times and increased risks to residents.
“We do not want to do anything or make any changes that
would put residents at risk. Even as we look at ways to save money, in
government, unlike business, you have to balance safety of residents with the
costs. We don’t want our residents to be in danger because of cuts” said
Council President Gladys Lugardo-Hemple.
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| Bridgeton Fire Department at High Rise Fire May 17, 2017 |
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| High Rise next day clean-up May 18, 2017 |