PHOTOS & VIDEO: (See @lakewoodscoop (News Alerts) for live photos and updates). Dozens of emergency personnel
responded to a structure fire in the downtown area at about 1:20 p.m
The fire reportedly began inside a restaurant on Clifton Avenue between 1st and 2nd Streets.
Flames and thick smoke were billowing from the building, which prompted the evacuation of nearby businesses.
A General Alarm was hit out and firefighters from all of Lakewood’s Fire Companies responded, as well as mutual aid from surrounding Townships. An MCI truck from Brick responded as well.
EMS, LFA and Hatzolah also responded to the scene.
The cause of the fire is under investiagtion by the Ocean County Fire Marshal’s Office.
There are no reports of injuries at this time.
Clifton Avenue is shut between 1st and 4th Streets, and access to those streets is restricted as well.
UPDATE 5:05 PM. Most of the downtown streets have been reopened.
The business, a restaurant, was left severely damaged. Nearby business also suffered smoke and water damage. [TLS]
Any stores damaged?
I can’t access twitter. where’s the fire?
for the quality info !
i sure hope everyone is safe, please more updates as soon as you get them thank you
Job well done by all of Lakewood firefighters, especially the few Fire Marshalls that were on scene. I witnessed one Marshall assist with stretching a line into the resturant and another remove 2 females from the second floor that had thick black smoke banked to the floor of the second floor stairway. Just have one question, why were the Marshalls removed from the scene by fire command?????????? They are all a great assett to our community.
Why were 6 Alerts for this story pretty annoying…………….
#2 as you can see in the pictures, is at corner between 2nd st and Clifton ave.
I hope everyone is ok.
Was anyone hurt? Please let us know!
A source told me it stared in El Oacxcano
Any updates? did the entire building burn down, is anyone hurt?
not 3rd and 4th, thats where the church is
Weird. I mean, did they have to shut down Clifton Ave from 4th str. till Ocean Ave for 4 hrs? nuts !! The whole downtown was a traffic nightmare for 4 hrs.
and a good stop. Why did no one call in the fire. The first call was a radio call by a fire marshal driving through town.
so why didn’t the owners of El Oacxcano call in the fire? They were there.
I hope the landlord gives something back to the people renting the apartments upstairs, they lost everything.
the fire marshall 47 called the fire in to the dispatchers at Lakewood pd, I heard the whole thing on my radio scanner.
I hope the landlord was adequately insured, i’m sure it’s a big loss for him too, a fire in a building is no joke! My condolences and heartfelt support to all who are involved……. Let’s hope they ALL get back on their feet!
I’m glad everyone is ok but it was a traffic nightmare never seen before in lakewood township omg
To ##5, well said…
Why was the MCI truck called in, was there a lot of shoppers injured? I think that was an over kill, we never called in an MCI truck in the past for a structure fire in lakewood, this is a waste of resources.
Ok Number 21….since you seem to know everything there is to know about emergency responses, riddle me this….So what happens while these firefighters are inside, attempting to extinguish the inferno and the floor collapses or the roof caves in… then what? I ‘m sure 1 ambulance and a small crew could handle it.
you cant cure stupid.
num 21 is just plain STUPID.
@steve
I hope you give something to the tenants who lived upstairs – they lost everything.
(point being – why should the landlord be expected to give more charity to the needy tenants than you?)
I have to say that it is quite heartbreaking to see all the questionable comments about why the streets were shut down and why so many pieces of equipment were called into assist along with the additional personel that came along with those addtional pieces of equipment. If I may add in my own opinion I must say that if the LFD and all the other units that responded did not do the tremendous job they did in stopping the spread of the fire to other adjacent buildings it could have been much worse, the entire block could have went up in smoke.
To Several commenter:
1- the Fire Marshal’s helped with the initial attack and as the firefighters showed up they backed off to start their investigation;
2- Shutting down Clifton Ave is a priority for the safety of ALL the firefighters that were on scene, plus the fact that they had all their Large Fire hoses connected to hydrants in the area makes driving crazy.
3- The MCI was called in prob because of the large presence of firefighters on the scene. they can handle mass Rehab area to get the firefighters back in service quick and take care of their medical needs. If they dont use it ..you say its a waste of resources, if they do use them you say its a waste of resources..Where do these Firefighters win?? That is why there was a large presence of EMS and First Aid on scene as well as the MCI from Brick EMS That is why they were there.
The MCI truck was called in for rehab for the firefighters. Also like number 22 says, what happens if the floor caves in?
This is not Mikveh Naeis. This is a real world situation. If you want to learn how emergency response works, you can join 1 of the many volunteer services.
I hope the tenants had renters insurance. Unfortunately, in too many of these situations they wake too late to realize how important it is to be protected, and they cannot recoup their losses.
In that case it may still be possible to be reimbursed from the restaurant owner (or his insurance – depending of course on whatever facts are uncovered in the investigation)
Why are ppl even answering these peoples comments.
Its pure, obvious ignorance. Everyone that is trained, knows that there was reason for every one of the agencies there.
The “recliner” firefighters and EMS should just keep their comments to themselves. When you don’t know what your saying just SHUT UP!!
can everyone talk with decent language? please?! why are u calling someone STUPID just because u dont agree with what they say?…what does comment moderation mean??? TLS should not allow comments with bad language or arguing…whatever-this is lakewood iyur hatorah, cant u tell?
I see that Verizon guy put on a fire coat. Wet wires?
Ganesha, you just said this is Lakewood iyur hatorah if this is true, why are you not listing to your rabbis and don’t have Internet.
Why was someone being called stupid. because he or she is. When you say something stupid, you should be called stupid.. Why was the mcu called out? We’re you there. We’re you volunteering yor time in the middle of the day when you should be at work? We’re you in command? All the answers are no, so stop asking STUPID question.
Just my 2 cents worth.
@ 17 who is fire marshall 47 of lakewood?
@33
Maybe she’s at a friend, at the office, the library, etc. Or she has filtered internet for business and has access to frum news sites, that’s ok.
Why is that a constant refrain, ‘..your from Lakewood..? How do you have internet… gasp..’ Please, get real.
Well if the floor caves in…Fire department FAST team goes in and gets the firefighters…EMT’s on scene evaluate the firefighters….Ambulances transport the firefighters. Can that MCI unit transport multiple patients NO!!!
We had plenty of EMTs on scene, Lakewood has plenty of ambulances and medical people to handle a structure fire. This town can handle its own emergencies at times. This MCI truck was brought in for somebody’s own political gain.
Don’t fix a problem that is not broke, instead finish what you started originally. To many open projects and no results yet, its embarrassing.
The real question is why arent the fire marshals able to fight fires. This is because Freeholder Kelly doesnt want them to. Its a shame, these guys are dedicated to all and a great asset to our community. Everyone call Kelly and the comminisors. Its election year
In emergency services you have to prepare for the worst. You have to think ahead what you will need if the incident gets away from you. You want those units on location if and when it gets away from you. If not then it is too late. Lives may depend on it. The seaside boardwalk started as a small fire also and see how that grew. Do you want emergency services to sit on their hands? Mutual aid companies take time to get on location so you get them there so you can act in a more timely fashion savings lives and property in the balance. The waste is to purchase such units and it never leave the garage when it was needed.
We don’t need the Fire Marshals getting hurt fighting the fires. They are investigators paid by the County to perform other important specialized fire related duties that a regular firefighter can not do. Fire Marshals should be on the scene observing the fire and starting their investigation so the cause of the fire can be found.
Mr Anonymous… who questions a Command decision…when you become fire commissioner are you going to tell the Lakewood Fire Dept how to do their job?? I think you are 1 sandwich short of picnic and you are on this site to start trouble!! Maybe you should start reading articles and books about firefighting and ICS !! Maybe you should read reports about firefighter injuries and fatalities!!?? If you did read these reports you would see “what should have been done”!! We learn from our mistakes and try not to repeat them!! Having a large scale incident with the potential of losing a whole block and your only comment was about Brick Twp MCI Unit which was their for REHAB….I’m laughing at you right now!! Your jealous about something…because you said “WE” never called this before…Glenn Ave South, whisper Ct, Lanes Mill Rd…just to name a few fires the MCI Unit was activated!! Your words are based on jealousy and your efforts to get noticed in Lakewood are pathetic! 3rd request buddy!!
Yes I agree that the Fire Marshals need to observe what is happening on scene for the investigation. It’s time that our commissioners and community wakes up and realize that our FD doesn’t have the manpower we used to have. I know there office has qualified men that fight fire, it has proven itself with this fire. Thanks for a job well done Men!
Lakewood Fire District needs to hire atleast 6 Full Time Firefighters…not rely on the Ocean County Fire Marshalls Office…although I am proud of the Rescues they made the other day!! They each have their own job to do….period! We as Taxpayers need to realize the Town is now a city and its not getting smaller!! Let’s do this the right way before it gets out of control! G_d Willing no one has to suffer because of lack of manpower! Do the Right thing and hire 6 Full Time Firefighters NOW!!
Trick or treat.. if you only knew what was happening and being said behind closed doors.
I’m a completely stocked picnic basket with enough sandwiches to feed a small city.
Jealousy, I don’t think so. Embarassed about how Lakewood has turned out, Yes.
If I understood it properly, the fire marshalls were stretching hose lines to the structure with no PPE( personal protection equipment) and the fire was rolling over their heads.Nice job by command to chase them off the scene for endangering themselves and the fireman who might of had to get them if things turned bad on them. yes I get that they were helping but the potential dangers out weigh the need for them to be there with no gear and the Chief is covering his backside.
#44, Your statement is totally wrong. From what I am told, The Fire Marshalls do have gear (probably better quality than Lakewood Gear) but are not allowed to wear in the town. If worn in the town, the comissioners have a fit and fully complain about it, how wrong. I was also told it wasn’t Fire Command that asked them to leave… KUDOS to the 2 FM that did assist and make the resce, if that didnt happen there would be 2 young ladies in body bags.. WAKE UP LAKEWOOD AND ALL THINK POSITIVE FOR THS TOWN………
The fire was extinguished……noone was injured…..the ladies were rescued…..can we all get on with our lives now and stop whining about what was done or not done…….
@Mr. Anonymous! That does not answer anything other than you are eloquent with words and proof that you are a part of backdoor politics!! Have fun when it comes to an end!
@Ralph 380… worry about 3rd and final request-turned over to QMT and as for the quality of gear…Please! Spare Me your pretending to know what your talking about!! Instead of pretending to be a commissioner why dont you show up to a meeting!!