Keyport Fire Department
Proudly Serving The Great Borough of Keyport Since 1877
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December of 1999- Working house fire with people trapped- Church Street |
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The last structure fire of the 20th century occured in December of 1999. When the Fire Department was toned out for a working structure fire with reports of persons trapped on Church Street. First due units found fire blowing fromt he second floor of the Cape Cod style house which was used as a drug house. Members made an aggressive attack up the stairs and after two teams worked the fire, it was finally extinguished. Tense moments unfolded when firefighters thought they had recoverd a body, however it turned out to be deris covering the bed. This was the last of a busy year for Chief James English (Lincoln Hose). |
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1999- Town and Country parking lot- Fully involved vehicle fire |
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This fully involved car fire was in the parking lot of the Town and Country Diner in 1999. Lincoln Hose Lieutenant Bert Aumack extinguishes the blaze under Chief Anthony Vecchio's command. |
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1990- House Fire- Near the End of Fulton Street |
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In 1990 the KFD responded to a well involved house fire near the end of Fulton Street, occupied my the Meyers Family. The blaze was initially report by phone to the quarters of Lincoln Hose, the members thinking it was a prank dismissed the caller and told them that if it was a real fire to call the police. Nothing happened and the members went about there business until the shrilling sound of the federal siren began sounding. Upon arival, flames were blowing out the attic windows and due to it's construction the building was soon lost. Several firefighters, Anthony Vecchio (Eagle Hose), James English (Lincoln Hose), Timothy Regan (Lincoln Hose), and Randy Stout (Lincoln Hose) bailed out head first down the stairs just before the attic flashed over. |
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February 5, 1981- Keyport Yaht Club- Alarm Box 32- First and Church Street |
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In 1981 the first large fire of the decade broke out. In another historic building. Thursday, February 5, 1981 Keyport Patrolman Al Dunkin was on patrol when we spotted flames and heavy smoke coming from the one hundred and forty year old Keyport Yaht Club. The building originally built by Joseph Hoff in the 1840s, sat directly at the water front at the foot of Atlantic Street. It's location made it vunerable to the constant 20 mph winds that February night as the mercury dropped to about 16 degrees. All companies responded under the direction of Chief Ken Goble. The fire burned out of control and all attempts of an interior attack were abandoned when the front of the structure collapsed inward, further fueling the flames. The department new this fire was out of controland mutial aide units began arriving along with tanker trucks from the area. After two hours of firebands ignited the top of seventy foot tower atop the Walling house on First Street. Additional firefighters worked to extinguish that blaze, while the Yaht club continued to burn. By 5 a.m. the fire was begining to go out, every piece of fire apparatus was encrusted with over three inches of ice, virtually shuting down the entire area. Hoses had to be chopped up and brought back to the firehouses to be thawed out. No cause was ever discovered for the blaze and the building was demolished, and a new building was later built in its place. As for the historic Walling house it's owners used the fire as an excuse to tear the historic house down. |
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September 17, 1976- The West Furniture Fire- Alarm Box 32- First Street and Church Street |
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The deparmtent had just settled back into town after a long weekend in Wildwood for the 1976 State Firemen's Convention. When the autumn night with be interupted by Bailey's Cow. The department rushed out to answer alarm box 32, First and Church St. And by the time they left there homes they new it was the big one. Hook and Ladder was the first on scene, being located some 100 feet away from the fire building they met a wall of fire coming from the entire first floor windows. Bill Sorber, went to set up the aerial on Church St. when Chief Harry Aumack II realized the fire was gaining on them fast, ordered the truck to back up to East Front and reposition, just as the 58' Seagrave was out of the way the massive glass display windows broke out as the entire first floor was consumed by a flashover. From this point on it was an uphill battle to prevent a conflagaration. By 11 o'clock the fire had reached massive proportions and several rigs had to be repositioned as lights on Fire Patrols Hahn began to melt. Mutial Aide companies began arrival as did tankers from Marlboro, Freehold, Manalapan, and Cheesquake. Keyport's Ladder eventually took a position between a showroom and a three story warehouse building. If a stand was to be made this was the spot. Meanwhile, Fire Patrol's deckgun was fed by three 2 1/2 lines and Matawan's aerial went to work between the showroom and the Bennett house. Water pressure was hampered by construction on the First Street water main project. Eventually more than 200 firemen were on the scene with the help from 50 fire companies. In the end, the department saved the Bennett house and the block. Damages were estimated at $400,000, and while the company remained open until 1996, the showroom was never re-built, and is still a vacant lot. Investigators tract down the suspect. A young man who thought the fire would be a distraction for a burglary at a local jewlrey store. Unforunantly it didnt distract anyone and he went away for quite some time.
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April 25, 1962- The Raritan Inn Inferno- Alarm Box 23- Broad and Front Streets |
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The old time fireman still have an air excitement about them when they talk about the early morning hours of April 25, 1962. it was just about four o'clock in the morning when the loud blasts of Bailey's Cow sounded for alarm box 23, Broad and Front Streets, calling the department out of a deep sleep for the biggest blaze since 1889. Ex-Chief Gene Regan related that as he came onto First Street from Spring Sreet the entire sky was aglow. As the old Mack of Lincoln came up East Front Street onto Broad Street the entire building was burning. Even the porch pickets were a fiery mass. Arriving companies quickly set up 2 1/2 lines to stop the fire from jumping the street. Plate glass windows on the north side of Front Street began popping out. And as the wind was blowing off the bay it looked as though the entire downtown was doomed. As the telephone melted away from the fire the still energized electric lines fell striking serveral firemen, but only by an act of god (and those ruber rain coats) they were spared injuries. As it was obvious in the first minutes of fire that Keyport alone could not control the blaze, Chief Pete Collins sent word to police headquaters, for help. Soon Union Beach, Cliffwood, Matawan Township, Matawan, Hazlet, and other towns were sending every piece of equiptment to our little town. By this time Chief Pete Collins and his assistants, Floyd Gardener, and Art Collins were able to begin a calculated attack on the fire. |
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January 15, 1954- Dr. Becker's Big Blast- Alarm Box 25- Maple Place and Beers Street |
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As the chiefs phone rang at 10:50 pm on January 15, 1954, Chief Henery Currie thought it would be just another routine chiefs investigation. On the other end of the telephone was Dr. Becker, a well known physician who kept his home and office on Maple Plac at the corner of Perry Street. Dr. Becker told Chief Currie that his home was rapidly filling wih natural gas due to a leak in his basement. Chief Cuie ordered him out of the house and had the police department sound a still alarm for the Engine Company. About three minutes later Chief Currie along with, Robert Miller, Mel Stultz (both of Eagle), Elmer Roberts and Clif Martin (Engine) and several others made the short four block trip on Engines LaFrance. Upon arriving Floyd Gardener went to the cellar and turned off the gas and the oil burner emergency switch. On his return from the cellar he advised the Chief that a "T" fitting was mising from the gas line. The firemen then assembled in front of the house by the front door to ventilate the house. It was at this time, that a tremendous explosion occurred, which ignited the gas vapors tjhat had filled the house. At the instant of the explosion, fireman William "Squint" Ross, and several others were thrown approximately thirty feet into the street here they landed near Engine'e truck. Robert Miller and Mel Stultz were trapped in the burning house and were rendered unconscious by the blast. Somehow Cliff Martin, Floyd Gardner and Robert Rose manage to enter the house and pull both Stultz and Miller to safety. A General Alarm was quickly turned in from Box 25, Maple and Beers, which soon sent the rest of the department out. The fire burned out of control for over three hours and at seven thirty the buildings ruins rekindled. The department conducted an investigation and concluded that the electric refrigerator motor must have sparked, igniting the natural gas. The old house leveled and a new home was built on the same location, which still stands. It is a miracle that no firemen was killed or severly injurded in the explosion and a even greater miracl that those inside the house were saved by the their comrades. |
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December 12th, 1942- Single System Laundry Fire- Alarm Box 23- Broad and Front Streets |
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Box 23, Broad and Front Streets was once again sounded, in the early morning hours of December 12, 1942, when Keyport Patrolman Roy Huylar was alerted by a passerby of the blaze. The old Single System Laundry was at the time of the fire the largest self contained laundry company in the area. The fire was believed to have started in the rear of the building near the boiler room. Fire Chief Kenneth Conklin was on the scene withinminutes as the Lafrance of Engine Company and the Diamond T ladder truck arrived at about the same time. the fire was blazing intesley but the ex-chief Asbury Walling entered the inferno with his trusty rubber turnout coat and metal helmet, pulling it down extra low to shield his face from the heat. Ex-chief Walling knew that the night watchman Mr.Leonard was still unaccounted for. Walling soon found the lifeless body of 62 year old Leonard Hardy of Hazlet, who have been overcome of smoke inhalation. Walling removed his body and efforts from the first aid squad to revive from proved futile. Ex-chief Walling was then treated for smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion after his heroic efforts. The fire burned out of control for over two hours, the flames finally being checked at about sunrise. Chief Conklin along with Bert Wooley, owner, investigated the fire and found the cause to be an electric power switch located on the boiler. The blaze marked the first time that Lincooln Hose Company's shiny new Mack pumper was used. The truck pumped at least three lines at the fire and well exceeded it's 750 gpm rating. The first of her many fires, it's last would not be until 1969. |
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1909- The Armory Fire- First and East Front Street |
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Another big event of 1909 was the disastrous fire at the armory. It was just past 8:00 PM on a sunday night when the first flames were spotted on the First Street side of the building. The department answered the alarm quickl, but felt that they could not save the building which streched from First to East Front Streets. About 9:00 PM help was summoned from Matawan H & L Co. All three companies arrived within the hour and did great work, helping Keyport to play at least nine streams of water on the blaze. At about 11:00 PM, the slate roof fell in, smothering as much of the fire. Eventually it ws brought under control, however for secound time in this building, no cause of the fire was ever found. The Armony was later rebuilt, and renamed the Armory THeatre, eventualy becoming the Palace Theatre where a young Fredd Astaire made his Vaudville Debute as a dancing Lobster in 1913. The building remained standing until 1973 at a which time it collapsed without warning into a pile of twisted beams and wires. |
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January 11, 1900- Marcus Lee's Store- North Side of First Street |
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It didn't take long for ole' man fire to show his face to Kelyport in the 20th Century. At 11:45PM on January 11, 1900 a young man saw flames pouring from Marcus Lee's store on the North Side of First Street. He ran directly across the street and began ringing the bell of the Lincoln Hose Co. he then took off on foot and ran four blocks to the Town hall where he gave the alarm. Within minutes, the entire department was on scene, and the Lee store and homestead were burning fiercly. The department cut several holes in the roof and the walls and found that the fire had begun in the basement and traveled througha the walls into the attic. The firemen made a good stand but between the fire and water damage, the house and grocery store were both a total loss. |
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February 12, 1898- Bottling plant and stables of Abram Morris- Located on Broad Street |
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A disastrous fire destroyed the bottling plant and stables of Abram Morris located on Broad Street on Saturday, February 12, 1898. The entire department battled the blaze which threatened to work it's way up Broad Street continuing it's destruction. However the department extinguished the stubborn blaze after about four hours, another job well done. |
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Sunday Morning, 1898- T.H. Roberts Hardware Store- West Front Street |
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As James Poling and William Helies rode into town early that Sunday morning they noticed dense clouds of black smoke pouring from the chimneys of the T.H. Roberts Hardware store on West Front Street. As the two men dismounted from their hitch, they that the sidewalk was red hot, indicating the fire must be raging in the cellar. Soon the Engine Company triangle began ringing, soon to be joined by the alarm bell at the truckhouse. First on scene was the enginemen who only had to run their apparatus around the corner, it was obvious that this was not the normal fire and it proved to be the largest blaze that the five companies had fought since they were organized. The hose companies quickly connected their lines and began to pour water on the fire. Men entered the rear of the store and slowly worked their way into the building in the midst of acrid smoke with no breathing protection whatsoever. Frank Walling of the Lincoln Hose Co. had gone into the basement and was doing battle with the red devil when he realized that he was surrounded by several houndred pounds of blasting powder. Knowing that if they left, the results would be the death to many brother firemen, the men stayed and fought back the flames, until the gunpowder could safely be removed outside. |