Essex County: Montclair Residents Rescued from Fire Escapes After Apartment Fire
MONTCLAIR, NJ – Residents of a North Fullerton apartment building were rescued from fire escapes after a 2-alarm fire ravages through parts of the building on November 24.
Sometime around 12:36 AM, the Montclair Fire Department reported receiving a call from a passerby reporting that there was smoke in the area of Claremont Ave and North Fullerton Ave.
While units were en-route, Montclair Firefighters received an update that there was a smoke condition at a nearby apartment building on North Fullerton Ave.
According to Deputy Chief Robert Duncan, firefighters arrived to find fire issuing from the balcony areas of all four floors at the rear of the building.
According to reports, “Several residents had to be rescued from fire escapes by Montclair FD members via ground ladders.”
He added that fire and smoke damage was severe to the affected apartments, while other apartments had varying levels of smoke and water damage.
Fire units from Bloomfield, Orange, East Orange, Clifton, West Orange, Cedar Grove and Verona helped to bring the fire under control and to cover the township.
According to Duncan, the fire had been caused by an electrical malfunction in the rear balcony ceiling of one of the apartments. There were no reported civilian or Fire Department injuries and Red Cross staff were on site to provide assistance to several displaced residents. Tenants in unaffected areas were allowed to return.
The last units cleared the scene at 4:02 AM.
Source: Tapinto Net Essex County: Montclair Residents Rescued from Fire Escapes After Apartment Fire November 24, 2019 at 9:00 AM
NJ Firefighter, Police Officer Injured in 3-Alarm Blaze
The firefighter received an electric shock and the police officer suffered smoke inhalation responding to a Bloomfield apartment blaze that left seven families displaced.
NOAH COHEN NOVEMBER 7, 2019
NJ ADVANCE MEDIA GROUP, EDISON, N.J.
TAPINTO BLOOMFIELD
A firefighter and a police officer were hurt in a three-alarm fire that burned at a Bloomfield apartment building, forcing seven families from their homes Thursday, officials said.
The fire broke out around 8:15 a.m on the fourth floor of a Washington Street apartment building in a busy block, near the Bloomfield Center business district and Glenwood Avenue. Fire crews contained the blaze before it could spread to other structures and flames were no longer visible about an hour later.
In a statement, town officials said the police officer was treated for smoke inhalation at an area hospital while the firefighter suffered an electric shock and was treated at the scene. No residents were hurt.
“I would like to thank the rapid response of our firefighters and the surrounding towns’ fire departments, which helped contain this fire. I would also like to thank our police officers who arrived to assist tenants,” Bloomfield Mayor Michael Venezia said.
Both injured responders suffered minor injuries and were expected to recover quickly, according to the mayor.
Red Cross volunteers assisted 13 people in seven families with temporary lodging, food and clothing as needed, according to the organization.
A town spokesman said all residents of the building that burned were evacuated while people from nearby buildings have since been allowed back to their homes. Officials believe the fire was accidental.
East Orange, Irvington, Clifton, Nutley, Belleville, Montclair and Verona firefighters assisted Bloomfield crews at the scene, said township Fire Chief Louis Venezia.
“Our firefighters made an aggressive interior attack of the building and worked hard to contain the fire and protect civilians,” the chief said in a statement. “I am proud of their hard work and dedication to bring this fire under control very quickly.”
The four-story Washington Street building includes apartments on the upper levels with commercial space below.
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Owner of building with rotting fire escape hit with 48 violations
The owner of a Jersey City building where a rusted, rotting fire escape snapped beneath the feet of residents fleeing a fire Monday has been slapped with 48 fire code violations, Jersey City officials said.
The owner of 500 Garfield Ave., a management company in Clifton, was cited for failure to properly maintain fire escapes and for obstructing a means of egress due to a fire escape being blocked by a metal gate, Jersey City spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said.
The violations came to light after a 2-alarm fire at the four-story apartment building there at 5 a.m. Monday. Calls to the management company, 500 Garfield Avenue JC LLC, were not returned.
One third-floor resident said he fell through the steps and landed on the fire escape landing a floor below while fleeing the fire. Others said they had to hold onto the fire escape railings and do their best to slide down the fire escape using their feet minimally.
Firefighters responding to the 5:21 a.m. alarm found the fire in a first-floor apartment that spread to an adjacent apartment before being declared under control at 6:01 a.m.
The building owner was also cited for having multiple fire alarms that were either disabled or removed and for having a locked exit door, Morrill said.
Children jump from balcony as fire rips through dance studio in Edgewater
EDGEWATER, New Jersey (WABC) — A group of children managed to escape when fire ripped through a dance studio in New Jersey Monday night.
The fire broke out at a complex on River Road in Edgewater and spread to the studio where the kids were rehearsing.
Trapped on a balcony with the fire closing in, the children first started throwing clothes and backpacks from the balcony as adults below scrambled to get ladders.
The children started to climb over the railing, but realized quickly the ladders were too short.
The first hung down and barely reached the ladder below with his feet, but managed to find it and climb down to safety.
But others could not reach the ladder and started to drop. The first made it to the ladder but the others, desperate to escape, just dropped to the ground.
Remarkably, there were no serious injuries.
“Our first responders here, everyone, did a wonderful job getting those kids out, getting the building evacuated and getting the fire contained,” said Edgewater Mayor Michael McPartland.
The fire sent smoke in the air that could be seen for miles.
Flames quickly burned through the building that housed a car wash, restaurant and the dance studio.
Source: ABC7 News Children jump from balcony as fire rips through dance studio in Edgewater By Jim Dolan Tuesday, April 10, 2018 10:37AM
Three-Alarm Fire Races Through Union City (NJ) Dwelling on Deputy Chief’s Final Tour
11/29/2017
By Ron Jeffers
North Hudson Regional (NJ) firefighters begin their tour of duty at 7:30 a.m. On this day, November 28th, Group 3 prepared to say goodbye to their deputy chief, who was retiring after 44-years of service–but duty called first.
At 7:31 a.m., fire companies were dispatched to a reported fire in the area of Palisade Avenue & Sixth St. Smoke was visible from a distance as responding units were redirected to the 14th Street viaduct, which connects Union City (NJ) with Hoboken. A brush fire sent smoke into the sky. This hard-to-reach fire on the Palisades cliffs took some time to access as firefighters worked to get a hoseline into place and extinguish the flames.
As firefighters were still operating here and at another alarm, at 9:35 a.m. fire control dispatched a full assignment to 910 Kennedy Boulevard, Union City, for a reported structure fire. In coming companies were also informed by fire control that there were reports of people trapped and on fire escapes. Smoke was again visible from a distance.
Upon arrival, firefighters found smoke pushing from a four-story occupied multiple dwelling. There were off-duty firefighters there already assisting in the evacuation. Officials also report that a city police officer was bitten by a dog as he assisted in the evacuation. First Battalion Chief Lenny Calvo transmitted a second-alarm.
Two men were on a fire escape, but the drop latter to the ground did not work. Firefighters set up ground ladders to rescue them. Two women inside the building did not appreciate this means of egress and refused to climb down ladders. After the original body of fire was knocked down in a first-floor apartment, firefighters escorted them out the front door.
Additional ambulances were ordered and a third alarm struck by Deputy Chief Mike Cranwell for additional personnel. Companies still at the brush fire were assisted by city police and sheriff officers by moving hoselines off the viaduct to let those fire companies respond to the fire.
Flames extended upward through a pipe-chase and walls to upper floors of the four-story structure. As firefighters opened up the walls on the second floor above the fire apartment, there was heavy fire showing. The flames were extinguished and the fire was stopped before it could affect the third floor.
Residents were placed into a city police van and the Red Cross was at the scene to offer assistance. The Jersey City Gong Club canteen truck responded with bottled water for the exhausted firefighters, and coffee was offered to the members by the Coach House restaurant, which is located across the street.
When fire units became available they stopped by the 29th Street firehouse to wish Deputy Chief Cranwell the best in his retirement. The chief started his career with the former Union City Fire Department and many retired city firefighters were present. North Hudson Fire Directors Jeff Welz and Mike DeOrio, Fire Control co-Director Joe Isola, and Chief of Department Frank Montagne were also present.
Chief Montagne expressed how D.C. Cranwell was instrumental in improving the department and making conditions safer for all.
Firefighters rescue people trapped on fire escape of burning building in New Jersey
ABC 7 Eyewitness News
UNION CITY, New Jersey (WABC) —
Firefighters made a dramatic rescue in New Jersey Tuesday morning as they helped people trapped on the fire escape of a burning building. The third-alarm fire broke out on the first floor of a 4-story building on Kennedy Boulevard in Union City. The blaze quickly raced through the building when the flames traveled through a void in the walls. 16 families live in the building and all made it out safely but had to make a harrowing escape, as the halls filled with smoke. They went out to the fire escape but needed help to get down from the building. “I opened up the door and couldn’t see anything, it was just black smoke,” said resident Jacob Wilkins. “So I broke through the kitchen window and got everybody out onto the fire escape. Once I got onto the fire escape I realized the ladder was jammed, it would not go down so we ended up standing out there. They were breaking windows, glass was falling on top of us. ” He said firefighters had to cut a fence down in the backyard to put another ladder up to rescue those who were trapped.. “I thought I was gonna die,” said resident Valerie Lee. “It’s pretty bad, and the fire escape don’t even go down and don’t even work, so that’s really bad.” Union City Mayor Brian Stack says an old firehouse that has been transformed into a shelter will be used to house the displaced families. The Red Cross will also provide assistance.
Man found on fire escape with bag of burglary tools: Cops
By Caitlin Mota The Jersey Journal JERSEY CITY — A 27-year-old man was found climbing a fire escape with a backpack full of burglary tools in Downtown, authorities said. Casey Collado was arrested on Wednesday after a brief foot pursuit with plain clothes officers, a police report of the incident indicates. At about 12:20 a.m., police were called to Wayne Street on reports of a man on the second floor fire escape of the building. The officers found Collado trying to climb a nearby fence when they arrived, the report states. Police told him to stop and he refused. The officers called for backup and Collado was arrested on Christopher Columbus Drive a short time later, authorities said. Collado was carrying two crowbars, a hammer, and a screwdriver in his backpack. Police also found nine credits cars, a hospital ID card, and a drivers license, the report states. He was charged with criminal trespassing, possession of burglary tools, and resisting arrest. Source: Caitlin Mota may be reached at cmota@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
Residents unite to take on mega-landlord
Jersey City Together held a landlord protest against River Edge / Trendy Management on Sunday, March 26, 2017. The protest met at St Paul’s Episcopal Church and protesters walked over to 205 Monticllo Ave. in Jersey City. Pictured: Rev. Jessica Lambert of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. (Michael Dempsey | The Jersey Journal)
Michael Dempsey | The Jersey Journal
By Caitlin Mota | The Jersey Journal on March 28, 2017 at 10:03 AM, updated March 28, 2017 at 4:31 PM
UPDATE: Management company hit with 100+ violations for 2 buildings
JERSEY CITY – Gladys Ortiz has repeatedly gone to court over lost rent checks. Heavy rain often flooded Candice Johnson’s basement apartment, damaging most of her belongings. Kathy Green was forced out of her home when a massive fire tore through her apartment building. The three women, who live in separate Jersey City buildings, all have one thing in common: their apartments are owned by River Edge Management, recently rebranded Trendy Management. But a number of people who reside in the buildings owned by the Clifton-based company say their living space is anything but trendy. Residents around the city began confiding in pastors and religious leaders about deplorable living conditions – mold in bathrooms, leaking ceilings, lack of heat. Jersey City Together, a multi-faith social justice organization, met with hundreds of residents who live in Trendy Management buildings and documented the conditions inside. The organization found many living with bedbugs and some being forced out of their homes for allegedly violating rent control laws. On Sunday afternoon, nearly 200 people gathered at St. Paul Episcopal Church to call for action against Trendy Management, with hopes of finding solutions for unsafe living conditions. The company’s owner, Esther Kaplan, was scheduled to attend the event, but cancelled hours before the meeting. Kaplan did not directly address any of the allegations when asked for comment by The Jersey Journal. The Rev. Jessica Lambert, from St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, said Jersey City Together met with hundreds of residents over the past nine months. Trendy Management is responsible for dozens of buildings around the city, some that have not had heat all winter. “If these were isolated incidents we could maybe hand Trendy Management a list of plumbing problems and needed repairs,” Lambert said. “Maybe chalk it up to some missed communications and missed messages, a few bad supers and call it a day. But no, what is most egregious and most unconscionable is all of these stories seem to be a part of an overarching business strategy.” Ortiz often pays the rent for her Gifford Avenue apartment months in advance, but still she frequently gets court notices from the management company. Her most recent notice came in December and was dismissed when she arrived at the courthouse. “I’m very tired and angry,” Ortiz told the group. “On top of the rent I have to pay for these lawyers, the court fees.” There was never a solution for the constant flooding in Johnson’s basement apartment on Bergen Avenue that destroyed her belongings, forced her to sleep elsewhere some nights, and led to mold inside. She moved after one year. “There was no way I was going to put up with their negligence longer than that,” she said.
Residents say rusted fire escape steps gave way beneath their feet as they fled a 2-alarm fire in a 4-story apartment building at 500 Garfield Ave. in Jersey City on Monday, June 15, 2015.Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal
Green has lived on Garfield Avenue for more than 30 years. Two years ago, a fire ravaged the building and the management company was slapped with 48 fire code violations. One resident fell through the fire escape trying to evade the blaze and officials said several smoke detectors were not working. Many of her longtime neighbors never returned, with new tenants paying more than double what previous residents had paid, she said. Addressing Mayor Steve Fulop – who was sitting in the front row alongside half of the city council – Green said the city “can’t let this continue to happen anymore.” “Mr. Mayor, River Edge shows a total disregard for humanity and that they don’t adhere to the laws that offer protection to common citizens,” she said. “And by doing so they denigrate peoples civil rights.” Fulop vowed immediate action would be taken against the management company. He told The Jersey Journal after the meeting last week was the first time he had heard of the conditions at the management company’s properties.
More trouble for management company hit with dozens of fire code violations last year?
A Clifton-based building management company that was smacked with dozens of fire code violations after a Garfield Avenue fire in June could face new fines after a fire this morning on Kennedy Boulevard.
“I’m at a loss for words,” the mayor told the group. “I don’t really know what to say because I don’t think anyone should have to live in that sort of situation. And while Esther Kaplan may not realize today her commitment, we will help her this week with city inspectors. The group then marched to 205 Monticello Ave. to tour one of the company’s buildings, some carrying signs calling for tenant rights. The basement of the building had black mold and a partially collapsed ceiling. There was visible water damage in some of the apartments. Residents at that building reported not having heat, so the management company brought in space heaters. While that solution provided heat, one resident told Jersey City Together that his electric bill skyrocketed from roughly $78 a month to nearly $325 for one month. Kaplan, when returning an email asking to speak about Jersey City residents’ living conditions, said the company has “many happy tenants and tenant satisfaction is our priority.” “We’re actively addressing the current specific tenant concerns as they are brought to our attention, and are committed to resolving these expeditiously.” City inspectors were at the Monticello Avenue building on Monday. Officials could not immediately comment on whether any violations were issued. Caitlin Mota may be reached at cmota@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
Owner of Jersey City building with rotting fire escape hit with 48 violations
Residents say rusted fire escape steps gave way beneath their feet as they fled a 2-alarm fire in a 4-story apartment building at 500 Garfield Ave. in Jersey City on Monday, June 15, 2015. Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal
Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal
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By Michaelangelo Conte | The Jersey Journal Follow on Twitter on June 19, 2015 at 12:54 PM, updated June 19, 2015 at 4:05 PM
The owner of a Jersey City building where a rusted, rotting fire escape snapped beneath the feet of residents fleeing a fire Monday has been slapped with 48 fire code violations, Jersey City officials said. The owner of 500 Garfield Ave., a management company in Clifton, was cited for failure to properly maintain fire escapes and for obstructing a means of egress due to a fire escape being blocked by a metal gate, Jersey City spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said. The violations came to light after a 2-alarm fire at the four-story apartment building there at 5 a.m. Monday. Calls to the management company, 500 Garfield Avenue JC LLC, were not returned. One third-floor resident said he fell through the steps and landed on the fire escape landing a floor below while fleeing the fire. Others said they had to hold onto the fire escape railings and do their best to slide down the fire escape using their feet minimally. Firefighters responding to the 5:21 a.m. alarm found the fire in a first-floor apartment that spread to an adjacent apartment before being declared under control at 6:01 a.m. The building owner was also cited for having multiple fire alarms that were either disabled or removed and for having a locked exit door, Morrill said. Residents of the apartments involved in the fire not able to return due to fire damage, Jersey City pubic safety spokeswoman Carly Baldwin said at the scene that day. Residents in eight additional apartments were also evacuated because of the lack of a second means of egress due to “the rotting fire escape,” Baldwin said.
Three Alarm Fire Rages on Elmora Avenue
By FRAN SULLIVAN
March 26, 2017 at 3:12 PM
Three-alarm fire on Elmora AvenueCredits: Kathy Lloyd
ELIZABETH, NJ – A fire in a six-story multiple dwelling on the 300 block of Elmora Avenue quickly progressed from a two-alarm to a three-alarm fire with one firefighter injured. At one point, fire was visible and found in the walls before it was extinguished. Occupants were seen on the fire escape directly beneath the fire apartment. Primary searches were completed and cleared. EMS personnel treated the injured firefighter at the scene. Elizabeth firefighters were assisted with units from Roselle Park, Roselle, Linden, and Union County Hazmat.
Residents rescued from 2-alarm fire at housing complex
Caitlin Mota | The Jersey Journal
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By Caitlin Mota | The Jersey Journal
on March 22, 2017 at 7:54 AM, updated March 22, 2017 at 7:55 AM
A two alarm fire ripped through an apartment building at the Marion Gardens Housing Complex on Tuesday, March 21, 2017. (Caitlin Mota | For The Jersey Journal)
Several residents were rescued from a two-alarm fire at the Marion Gardens housing complex yesterday morning.
The fire ignited in a first-floor bedroom at 23 Dales Ave. at 9:30 a.m., city spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said.
A man in the apartment where the fire started ran from the building but left the unit’s door open. Fire and smoke began filling the hallways, trapping residents on the second and third floors, she said.
Upper-floor residents used a fire escape to get out of the three-story building. The fire escape, however, was connected to the room where the fire began, making it difficult for residents to reach the ground, Morrill said.
One woman at the scene said her entire family, including at least three children, were helped by firefighters on the fire escape.
At least two apartments were damaged. The American Red Cross was assisting an adult and five children with shelter. It’s unclear when other residents will be allowed to return to home.
No one was injured in the fire, although eight people were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation, Morrill said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
2 jump from second-floor window to escape blaze
2 jump from second-floor window to escape blaze in Highland Park
Firefighters battle a blaze at a house in Highland Park. July 26, 2016 (Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
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By Spencer Kent | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Email the author | Follow on Twitter on July 26, 2016 at 3:03 PM, updated July 26, 2016 at 7:30 PM
HIGHLAND PARK — When borough Fire Chief Jay Littman arrived at a rooming house consumed in flames Tuesday morning, he said he “knew it was very bad.” Immediately, he called for other departments to respond to the scene.Outside the home, as the flames continued to roar, he heard a window crash and he looked up. I looked up at the second-story window, and a girl literally jumped out the window,” he recalled. “(We) were in the process of going to get her, and she jumped out.” He said a man then also exited the window and climbed down the fire escape. Fire personnel arrived at the house on South Aidelaide Avenue at about 10:30 a.m., according to police. Though they had initially gotten the blaze under control, firefighters had to battle the fire a second time after another flare up inside around 1 p.m., according to Littman. Officials said the house had been destroyed. Two other people home at the time were able to escape before firefighters arrived at the scene, Littman added. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the county Prosecutor’s Office and the Middlesex County Fire Marshal. Several fire departments were called to the scene, including Highland Park, Edison, New Brunswick, Metuchen, South Plainfield and East Franklin.
Fire destroys home in Highland Park
Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Fire renders Montclair building uninhabitable
FEBRUARY 1, 2016 LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2016, 6:38 PM
BY NICHOLAS KATZBAN
STAFF WRITER |
THE MONTCLAIR TIMES
A three-alarm fire caused extensive damage to a mixed-use building in Montclair’s Central Business District this past Saturday, closing businesses, displacing residents and sending two people to the hospital.
STAFF PHOTO BY ADAM ANIK
According to a statement emailed to The Montclair Times by Deputy Fire Chief Robert Duncan, the blaze was reported to the Montclair Fire Department at approximately 3:30 a.m. Duncan stated that the fire began in the basement of Jerry’s Antiques, a business at 229 Glenridge Ave., near the corner of Bloomfield Avenue. “The products of combustion quickly spread to the apartments above,” Duncan stated in the email. He noted the cause is still under investigation. Residents were rescued from their apartments, and from the building’s fire escape. According to Duncan, the two residents sent to the hospital were treated for smoke inhalation. As of Monday afternoon, he did not know if the residents had been discharged. No firefighters were injured while responding to the incident. According to Duncan, 16 residents were displaced by the fire. “The structure sustained heavy fire damage to the basement and 1st floor,” Duncan stated. “The building is uninhabitable and has been ‘red carded.'” The Montclair Times contacted Jerry Deltufo of Jerry’s Antiques, but he could not offer a comment before press time. Email: katzban@northjersey.com
Questions arise about evacuation plan for new Paterson school location
AUGUST 10, 2015, 7:18 PM LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 2015, 7:29 PM
BY JOE MALINCONICO
PATERSON PRESS
CHRIS MONROE/SPECIAL TO THE RECORD
PATERSON – Some local officials are questioning whether the downtown office building being converted to classrooms for about 400 Paterson high school students provides safe escape routes in case of emergencies. The Paterson planning board signed off on the new building last week in a 4-3 vote in which members voting against the proposal said they were concerned about the evacuation plan. Planning board member Nelly Celi said that if the main lobby exits were blocked in an emergency, the building’s occupants would have to climb down one fire escape down to second floors, cross a walkway to an adjacent building, go down another fire escape to street level and follow an alley to Church Street to get out. “That’s a maze,” said Celi. “I just don’t think it’s safe.” The school district is planning to relocate its HARP and YES academies to the office building, which is located at the corner of Colt and Ellison streets across from City Hall. For years. HARP has been housed in the old outdoor Paterson mall, a facility that itself was the target of state-issued safety violation, many involving slippery conditions in rain and ice. Planning board member Eddie Gonzalez said he shared his colleagues concerns about the evacuation plans at the renovated Colt Street building. But he said he voted in favor of the proposal because he thought the conditions at the previous HARP site were more dangerous than those at the new location. The new location still needs approvals from the state education department as well as the city fire department. School district officials have a tentative $495,000 per year lease for the seven-story Colt Street building. They said the owner, 5 Colt Street, LLC, is installing all requisite safety measures.” “The city code officials review and approve all drawings, and the building must pass all code inspections prior to occupancy,” said the district’s facilities director, Steve Morlino, in a written statement. “Significant life safety improvements have be incorporated as a part of the renovation of this building, and according to the architect’s calculations the occupant load is within the acceptable parameters. In addition there is a new state of the art addressable fire alarm system installed as part of the renovation.” District spokeswoman Terry Corallo said the Colt Street building has two exits at the lobby level. “Students requiring special accommodations will be addressed by the school principal and incorporated into the fire egress plan,” Corallo said. “There are two elevators available at all levels as well as holding areas which provide a safe haven while awaiting fire department personnel. The building has been retrofitted with fire sprinklers throughout.” School board president Jonathan Hodges said he toured the Colt Street building and looked over the fire escapes. Hodges said he was told the landlord would be installed “re-fortified” fire escapes to replace the ones that were there previously. Hodges said the district would not have to convert an office building into a school if the state provided Paterson with better facilities as well as the authority to enter into a lease-purchase agreement for HARP. “We’re forced to take this inadequate and desperate approach to our facilities,” Hodges said. Another school board member, Corey Teague, said he had been concerned about the safety at the new building but was assured by district officials that there were two separate exits. John McEntee Jr., president of the city teachers’ union, said the location was being evaluated by its worksite safety committee. “It certainly is not a good idea to have our students and staff using a fire escape,” said McEntee. “That would raise concerns for me.” The Colt Street site has received approval from the city’s fire sub-code official in its building division, officials said. Paterson Fire Chief Michael Postorino said the fire department’s safety inspectors do not check new facilities until after the building offices issue a certificate of occupancy. For the new school location, the chief said the inspection would be done immediately after the certificate were issued. Postorino declined to comment on whether he thought the evacuation plan was safe. “I’d have to see it all to be in better position to make that type of determination,” the chief said. Celi said she thought the district ought to provide parents of HARP and YES academies with detailed information about the evacuation plan. “They should know about the building where their children are going to,” said Celi.
Jersey City apartment complex where fire escape snapped cited for safety violations
Residents say rusted fire escape steps gave way beneath their feet as they fled a 2-alarm fire in a 4-story apartment building at 500 Garfield Ave. in Jersey City on Monday, June 15, 2015. Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal
Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal
By Amanda Eisenberg | The Jersey Journal
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on July 06, 2015 at 6:28 PM, updated July 07, 2015 at 7:00 AM
JERSEY CITY — Jersey City Fire Department officials found 48 violations at a multiplex apartment after the steps of the building’s fire escape snapped while residents were fleeing a fire there last month.
The four-story building, located at 500 Garfield Ave., is tucked away between Garfield Avenue and Bayside Terrace, but leaves “a lot to be desired,” said Charles Green, one longtime resident.
Green has lived in the building for 37 years and has seen rent increases for upgrades that he said the tenants don’t actually have.
“We paid for the intercoms and a security camera,” Green said. “The tenants paid for it but management doesn’t acknowledge any responsibility.”
While the intercom is still attached to the entrance of the building, it no longer works. According to Jersey City’s Division of Housing Code Enforcement, an inspector reported that there was no response to the bells back in December 2013.
Green said he and other residents have gotten into the habit of throwing their keys from a window down to visitors.
Other residents have reported problems with security. Management reportedly told Green and others that the lack of a working security camera is a police problem, not their problem.
The Jersey Journal reached out to River Edge Management, which owns and operates the complex, for comment via email and did not receive any statement regarding the violations. A message left on the company’s voicemail answering service was also not returned.
Green said the building has not had a superintendent in the last seven or eight years, so any repairs or problems are reported to an answering machine or email address that the management team set up. Green said that management will send over repairmen without warning the tenants.
Severo K. Gerena, a resident who was scraped up during the collapse of the fire escape stairs, said that management is slow to fix things until it is required.
Management replaced the fire escape shortly after the June 15 fire, but Gerena said the new hardware was put on the old rusted main beams.
“That’s all going to collapse if there’s another fire,” he said. “If that occurs, someone is going to die.”
After filing an Open Public Records Act request with Jersey City, The Jersey Journal found that the fire department cited management after the fire for 17 counts of safety hazards that needed to be abated by June 16. The other 31 violations need to be addressed by July 16.
The building and its revolving management has a history of failing inspections, the last which took place in 2012 prior to the fire, according to Jersey City spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill.
In 2008, there were 22 violations under Garfield Realty, L.L.C., 12 violations in 2011 under Hudson Property Management, and 48 violations under River Edge Management this year.
FIRE ESCAPE COLLAPSES AS RESIDENTS ESCAPE FIRE IN JERSEY CITY
Jim Dolan has the story in Jersey City.
By Jim Dolan
JERSEY CITY (WABC) —
Residents at an apartment house in New Jersey are lucky to be alive.
The fire escape that was supposed to be a lifesaver nearly turned into a death trap as it fell apart while residents climbed down during a pre-dawn blaze on Monday.
“That was my only chance of getting out,” said one of the residents.
Smoke was building his apartment, he said, and the only way out was the fire escape, but that turned out to be just as dangerous as the smoke. “When I stepped there, it gave way and it just fell apart all the way to the bottom,” he said.
The damaged fire escape steps and the area where the man had fallen through were still visible Monday night. He had never looked at them until he needed them, but one floor down Vanessa Hancock had.
“When I first moved in to the apartment, that was the first thing that I checked, the fire escape, and we told the management about the fire escape because this is hazardous and somebody could get hurt, anything could happen. So we kept calling the management about the fire escapes and nobody did anything,” Hancock said.
When she was awakened Monday morning by the smoke and noise, Hancock knew the fire escape was dangerous. “I already knew not to even come this way … My options were either out the window or the front door,” Hancock said.
But the man in her building did head to the fire escape and it nearly cost him his life.
“I opened the door and these gave way, the whole steps gave way. I thought, ‘I am not going to make it’, pretty scary,” he said.
Authorities release name of Jersey City man who fell to his death
A 74-year-old Jersey City man who was cleaning a fire escape died after the counterweight from the fire escape’s ladder broke loose, struck him on the head and sent him falling to the ground this morning, officials said.
At 11:30 a.m. officers responding to the backyard of 2684 Kennedy Blvd. found the the man, who was identified as Angel Feneque, unresponsive on the ground near the fire escape, bleeding from his nose, a police report says.
The victim’s wife told police that Feneque was the building superintendent and was cleaning the fire escape when the fatal incident occurred, the report says.
It is unclear how far Feneque fell.
Police viewed security video that showed Feneque was putting a ladder next to the fire escape. As he pulled the fire escape’s ladder down, its counterweight broke loose and struck him on top of the head, the report says.
An ambulance from the Jersey City Medical Center responded and emergency medical technicians began life saving procedure, the report says. Feneque was rushed to the Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, officials said.
“I heard a bang,” said Juan Serrano, 42, who lives in the building. “Then I saw someone lying in the back of the building. He had blood coming from his nose and the back of his head. The back of his head was really hurt.”
By Michaelangelo Conte | The Jersey Journal
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on June 26, 2014 at 6:08 PM
Journal staff writer Patrick McGovern contributed to this report.
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