PHOTOS & VIDEO [UPDATED] A vacant home was heavily damaged this afternoon after a fire broke out in the home. A General Alarm was put out for the Monmouth Avenue home at about 1:30 PM and drew a large response from the Lakewood Fire Department, EMS and the Fire Marshal’s Office.
The fire, which apparently originated on the main floor, was brought under control in about 10 minutes.
The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.
The CIU is investigating.
This is the second General Alarm fire in 24 hours. TLS-6466/TLS-CCP/TLS-07.
Is this becoming a pattern?
A quick response time was pretty much a foregone conclusion the property which burned has 2 firehouse 4 blocks away – one on 8th street, and one near 1st Street!
Either way, a job well done!
Is this what is called “Urban Renewal?”
it always amazes me that a vacant house can catch fire.what is this town coming to.
why be so negative?? do you know what happend??????
What is amazing here, take a look at how many VOLUNTEER firefighters left there jobs in the middle of the day to run into a burning building.
Kudos to all those brave men and women of the LFD.
Please be safe
Their gear is still drying from last night’s general alarm! Two fires in two days, both not life threatening, yet these guys are there to do the job! These are the real heroes in this town! We don’t give them enough credit! To leave their job in the middle of whatever they are doing…Thank You!
6640……………..
Let’s not forget the EMS volunteers who leave their jobs and families daily to save lives too!!
To No 2
One station is manned full time the other is not as I’m sure your well aware of. For some reason it sounds as if you threw a few stones at the fire department with your comment and yet give them a pat on the back to the team with the same hand . WHY?
Both stations were first built in a different era when the town was allot smaller and there was FOUR fire stations located all within a mile of each other in the down town area, thats the way it was – not much different than any other towns back in that time – Yes, 4 station all in the down town area – now complain
Common sense dictated you put fire stations and equipment were its needed . Back then they were all needed downtown, the rest of town was forest . Fast forward to 2011. Because of the volume of calls and growth of Lakewood, more paid firefighters and or volunteers were needed to keep insurance rates stable. (remember the 100 volunteers that are coming- yea right- never show up – so you hire paid firefighters) I do not know for fact because I’m no longer actively involved with the dept but I’ll bet my wallet that the First Street station was not large enough to house both functions and equipment in that location -A total of 5 trucks and required living quarters for the needed group of fire fighters on duty 24 hours a day, plus a volunteer company also housed in the same building . Major renovations would have been needed and T he possibility to acquire more land to meet all the codes and requirement of the renovation.
The station located a 8 blocks north had the land and a building that could be renovated much cheaper than the First Street station. The location also has the land to expand when the town population hit 250000 PEOPLE. At that point the insurance rating groups WILL dictate that more full time firefighters must be on duty to keep insurance rates stable and the dept will be able to accommodate that change.
There could come a day when property is sold when it’s no longer needed, but the town is still in its infancy related to potential growth unless someone wakes up soon and YELLS”‘IT ENOUGH” it just took an hour to get from County Line Road to Main Street via Route 9 no more building -PLEASE
Until that happens you plan for expansion and hold what you have.
If the fire dept had those 100 new volunteers lined up to join that was promised this would all be a mute point
You had the budget cut almost $500,000 I get it, times are tough and everyone needs to do with less and these guys both paid and volunteers are doing so. I just ask as a retired member of the group give them pat on the back when they do well and have the decency to confront their leaders face to face when you have a question or a problem with them. Not too much to ask for a group of people that risk their lives for you and your family
I am no longer an active member with the dept and these are my own opinions on your comment
To the ex fire Capt: I wrote comment # 2. Firstly let me thank you for your years of dedicated service. We all appreciate it! Thank you for the explanation. Yes, I thanked the fire fighters, because they deserve our thanks!! It’s as simple as that. Anyone who says otherwise is a dunce. Correctly reading between the lines, though, I was questioning the need to have 2 firehouses so close to one another. Regardless of the reason why they were initially built so close together, at the current time there is no point having them so close. If the sole reason to keep the 1st Street location is for the future, when insurance needs will dictate that more firefighters are needed, then I suggest the Department simply rent out the building until that time. This way they can get some sorely needed income, and will not need to come onto the taxpayers for it.
lakewood firefighters are the BEST
Surrounded
Thank for the kind words on service to the community
Regarding your point that two station so close together are not needed.
The first street building was first built in 1912 and later turn down and the present building was constructed in the last 10 to 15 years to house 3 fire truck and an occasional 4 unit In the early 1960 the Eight Street building was constructed to hold 4 trucks and two fire companies.
Today because of the growth of the town the need for certain amount of equipment and manpower is required to be on duty24/7.
Neither one of the buildings has the capacity to hold all the equipment collectively and ability to house the men on duty that are needed to fill their missions .
Do we build a new fire house to hold everything? we could –
Sell one house and rip the other one down and build one Mega station on Eight Street. Even today it would cost 5 to 10 million after it’s all said and done- that not including all of the site work for pilings that would be needed because the station was built on top of an old swamp. guesttimate of 10 million Dollars to complete a new station to fill all require needs
In this market the one station that you would sell would not fetch a quarter of the cost to build the other new station – even in better times it wouldn’t pay to build
Or just keep the two building like was done- renovate the one station to modern requirements for less than 1/10 the cost of building a one large station that really not needed
IMO no cost saving at all to build and sell – keep what you have you need it know anyhow regardless of how close they are together . We cannot afford any new building or additional taxes- bonded or not bonded PERIOD
Like you, I pay taxes and lots of them – start with the other boards in town and look for the waste
the fire dept just went through a “Slimfast budget reduction” thanks to the voters
I can live with two building down the street from each other that are paid for and used to their full capacities
Just want to clarify that the one station on Eight Street was renovated to meet the requirement to house staff around the clock and the necessary apparatus at far less the cost of a new building
Kudos to the LFD on another job well done. You all do an amazing job 24/7/365. Thanks!
Lightning ???
to Jerry:
my thoughts exactly…