severely damaged an unoccupied building in the Somerville Parc
Apartments complex on James Street.The fire
appeared to have started in the at...
have begun the planning process for the long-awaited emergency services
complex on Gaston Avenue.In late February and
early March, repre...
SOMERVILLE – A multi-alarm fire Friday morning severely damaged an unoccupied building in the Somerville Parc Apartments complex on James Street.
The fire appeared to have started in the attic of the four-story building off Fairview Avenue next to the NJ Transit railroad tracks.
About 9:15 a.m., a patrol officer saw smoke and flames coming from the roof of the construction site on Parkview Avenue, a new street in the development, Mayor Dennis Sullivan said.
Workmen were on the site at that time, the mayor indicated. The building was scheduled to be completed in late September or early October.
He said the construction site is part of a two-building complex, each with about 80 units. He said the western building had been completed for about a month and has tenants living there. The eastern building, which was still under construction and weeks from being completed, with many of the complex's amenities, caught fire.
He said residents were evacuated from the occupied building as mutual aid was called to the scene as the fire grew to four alarms. Sullivan said residents will be allowed to return home once the area is deemed safe.
Fire departments from at least six neighboring towns responded. The Somerset County Emergency Mobile Command Center also responded.
Sullivan said firefighters stopped putting water on the fire about 2:30 p.m. but were continuing to monitor the area for hot spots.
He said no injuries were reported to residents, firefighters or rescue squad personnel.
"'There is significant property damage to be determined," Sullivan said, adding the fire marshal was on site, along with the fire chief, office of emergency management coordinator and construction code personnel.
Aerial photos posted to social media showed significant damage to the upper floors of the building, but Sullivan is unsure how much water damage also was caused by fighting the fire.
"It's my understanding that the next step, once the structure is deemed out and safe to be explored, then the investigators will come in to try to determine the cause of the blaze," Sullivan said.
Sullivan praised the response of the firefighters from Somerville and neighboring towns.
"It's community with a capital C," Sullivan said. "We had responded to Bound Brook when they had their big structure fire and it was nice to see them doing the same for us. Communities like ours rely on our neighbors and we all pay it forward. I couldn't be prouder or our response and the fact all the people there that geared up are all volunteers."
He said the firefighters are well-trained, highly motivated, skilled and take pride in what they do.
"That training came in handy today," Sullivan said. "They responded and they will be going home feeling proud of their work. Stuff can be rebuilt."
Sullivan said if the new building needs to be demolished, it can be rebuilt, and the borough's construction code officers will work with the owners. But right now, it's premature to guess what will need to be done.
"It's just a shame that less than six weeks away from the complete opening of the site they are going to have to regroup. But I'm confident in the developer and he has confidence in the town, and I look forward to having everybody back for a positive event in the near future," Sullivan said.
He said the building under construction was to include the pool, fitness center, indoor dog park along with rental apartments. The first building, which has been completed, only houses rental units and some common space, the mayor said.
Sullivan said the project's completion is now up in the air because it has yet to be determined if the building is salvageable.
During the fire, traffic was detoured off East Main Street by Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset as firefighters stretched their lines to hydrants.
At least two TV news helicopters hovered over the scene.
Earlier this summer the first phase of the apartment community opened.
The first phase of the community built on the former Litgo faculty site, which once housed an iron works, houses 88 one- and two-bedroom units.
"It's was an old industrial site and it had its share of fires over the years when it was used for industrial purposes," Sullivan said. "It's a site that sorely needed redevelopment for most of the 40 years I've lived here. We've worked with a number of potential builders over the years to get it cleaned up to the point where you could put people there.”
He said the developer was extremely diligent in getting the site cleaned up to reclaim a dangerous site and make it habitable for future families.
"It was a show piece," Sullivan said. "I was excited to cut the final ribbon and have families moving in. It was a blighted area in need of redevelopment for probably a half century and we were this close to having it fully occupied and it's bittersweet."
"It's a bump in the road but it's not an insurmountable hurdle," Sullivan said.
The complex is considered a pet-friendly, resort-style community with amenities such electric vehicle charging stations, dog park and dog-washing stations, concierge and package service, and a work lounge.
The complex also features a fitness center with treadmills, spin bikes, ellipticals, weight machines and full training station, along with a year-round swim spa and game room.
The second phase, which was slated to open in the fall, will have 92 units. It's unclear if the fire will impact the opening of phase two.
Somerville Parc features four different housing models with prices ranging from $1,950 a month for a one-bedroom unit to $2,225 a month for a two-bedroom apartment. Apartments are equipped with a washer, dryer, dishwasher and a microwave. Kitchens have quartz countertops.
The apartment community is in the southeastern corner of the borough next to the NJ Transit tracks.
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41 entries in the News
SOMERVILLE – A multi-alarm fire Friday morning severely damaged an unoccupied building in the Somerville Parc Apartments complex on James Street.The fire appeared to have started in the attic of the four-story building off Fairview Avenue next to the NJ Transit railroad tracks.About 9:15 a.m., a patrol officer saw smoke and flames coming from the roof of the construction site on Parkview Avenue, a new street in the development, Mayor Dennis Sullivan said. Workmen were on t...
SOMERVILLE – The borough's emergency responders have begun the planning process for the long-awaited emergency services complex on Gaston Avenue.In late February and early March, representatives of the organizations attended a pair of two-day workshops to give input on what they wanted to see in the new building that will be built on the former site of the Gaston Avenue Bakery and adjacent lots.Somerville has signed a memorandum of understanding with F...
BRIDGEWATER - Township police are investigating the source of an odor that forced the evacuation of the cafeteria at Bridgewater-Raritan High School before noon on FridayPolice say they were dispatched to the main cafeteria for an unknown odor at about 11:45 a.m. The cafeteria was quickly evacuated and police, fire and rescue immediately responded to the scene.More: Bridgewater municipal tax rate remains lowest in Somerset CountyA preliminary investigation revealed that a stude...
The Somerville Rescue Squad at the 2019 St. Patrick's Day Parade
Somerville Rescue responded to a vehicle versus a building in Somerville.
Somerville Rescue Squad along with many other agencies responded to assist in removing a trapped victim from a trench on Bound Brook.
Somerville Rescue Squad members provided a bleeding control course for the staff of the Immaculate Conception School.The school was also given a bleeding control kit to be kept in the event of a bleeding emergency courtesy of the rescue squad.If you are interested in donating to assist in the cost of purchasing the training equipment or these such kits please see our donation page. If you are interested in training like this please feel free to contact us through our event coverage request fo...
Somerville Rescue Squad members provided a bleeding control course for the staff of the Somerville Public Schools.Each school was also given a bleeding control kit to be kept in the event of a bleeding emergency.Additional classes are scheduled for the Immaculate conception schools as well.If you are interested in donating to assist in the cost of purchasing the training equipment or these such kits please see our donation page. If you are interested in training like this please feel free to ...
Several Squad members participated in this years 2018 Polar Bear Plunge. Thanks to all for your donation to the Special Olympics.
Somerville Rescue Attended Santa's Arrival at Raritan Boro Hall.See the link below for more photos and info.https://www.tapinto.net/towns/bridgewater-slash-raritan/articles/raritan-welcomes-santa-claus-with-annual-party-t
A Well Attended National Night Out.See the link below for more information.https://www.tapinto.net/towns/somerville/articles/somerville-gathers-for-annual-night-out-celebrati
The Cadet Corps took a trip to the Mutter Museum in Philadelphia to explore and expand their knowledge of medicine throughout history. There were tons fascinating exhibits depicting many of medical procedures dating back to medieval times to now, medical mysteries, disease progression and much much more. They enjoyed their time exploring and will be planning new exiting trips to promote knowledge and teamwork in the future.http://muttermuseum.org/
Somerville Rescue Rehab Task Force Responded HILLSBOROUGH - Firefighters responded to a fire inside Pretium Packaging located off Roycefield Road on Monday.The two-alarm fire was reported at approximately 12:39 p.m. at the building located on Cougar Court. Everyone inside the building were able to exit safely and there were no injuries reported, police said. The fire was reported as being under control by 1:19 p.m.According to police, an oil line for a bottle capping machine had broken...
The Somerville Rescue Squad visited one of our local daycare's, The Good Shepard Christian Daycare and Preschool and provided a demonstration and tour of the ambulances.
A mass casualty drill is being held from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Steeplechase Cancer Center located on the corner of East Main Street and Rehill Avenue, the borough's Office of Emergency Management announced Friday.The drill is being done by the Somerville Rescue Squad, along with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital - Somerville and the Office of Emergency Management."During this time you may notice an increased amount of ambulance traffic around the hospital," it was st...
A Night Out against Crime will take place Tuesday, Aug. 2 from 6-9 p.m. at Carol Pager Park (Exchange Field), Green Street (between North Bridge and Davenport Street). Admission is free.There will free hot dogs, drinks and snow cones, free giveaways and raffles, a Bounce House, music and activities for kids of all ages.There will also be police, fire and EMS demonstrations.Also, Boy Scouts of America, Pickleball and Cricket demonstrations with Somerville Recreation.Meet elected officials, member...
Somerset County Freeholder Director Patricia L. Walsh selected 40 nonprofit organizations in an annual drawing for Community Box seats at the TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater.Somerset County Freeholder Director Patricia Walsh selects 40 nonprofits for Community Box seats during the Somerset Patriots' 2016 season. (courtesy photo)The winners will have an opportunity to watch the Patriots play home games on various dates during the 2016 season, which begins Thursday with a 7:05 p.m. home game. ...
41 entries in the News
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