Senior tower being evacuated following small fire
Power goes out after transformer ignites
After a small fire erupted this morning in the Ocean Avenue senior tower, power is out again and residents are being evacuated due to dropping temperatures in the city.
The fire started around 9 a.m. this morning, fire chief Kevin Keddy said, due to an electrical malfunction in the 480-volt transformer serving the building. The transformer has “a pretty big service,” Keddy said, and is located on the ground floor.
Firefighters responded to the situation but had to wait for power company Jersey Central Power and Light [JCP&L] to come de-energize the building before they could extinguish the fire. The fire was small and localized to the area around the transformer, Keddy said. The equipment in the area of the fire is now melted and needs to be repaired, he said.
The electrical issue was likely caused by the flooding that occurred due to Hurricane Sandy, which struck last Monday, Oct. 29, Keddy said. The tower just had its power restored yesterday after having used a generator for a week.The generator can be used again, but does not provide heat.
“It was bad enough during the hurricane, but the temperature is really dropping so people can’t stay here without heat,” Keddy said.
Because of the drop in temperatures this week, the city is now looking to evacuate residents to the homes of families and friends, Keddy said. The city’s social services director is currently working to find shelter for the approximately 100 to 130 residents who remain in the building. Many of the building’s other residents already evacuated before the hurricane.
One resident of the building, Gary Gresko, returned from work and food-shopping to find the building inaccessible. He was worried about his golden retriever, which was waiting on the 20th floor, but felt relieved as the fire trucks started to roll away.
“I couldn’t get back in but it seems they’re clearing out now,” he said. “This day was going so well. I imagine we’re going to be out of power for a while.”
He’s lived in the building for three and a half years and this is the first fire he’s seen. He stayed through the entire hurricane and found the senior tower to be “very safe” as he watched the ocean and the lake swell from his corner apartment.
“It was just unbelievable to watch the awesome power of the ocean,” he said. “It was breathtaking, but sad because of all the damage.”
The senior tower, located on the north end of Ocean Avenue near Deal Lake, houses about 300 residents, most of whom are senior citizens.