ATLANTIC CITY — Occupants of a rooming house were relocated Monday night after a third-floor fire rendered the building uninhabitable.
Fire Chief Scott Evans said the department responded to 1401 Memorial Ave. after receiving a call about 5 p.m. When crews arrived, they found a mattress, the walls and the ceiling in a bedroom on the alley-facing side of the building on fire.
By 6 p.m., the crew from Engine 1 had the fire under control, but water damage on the first floor and heavy smoke damage on the third floor forced at least 17 people to find another place to stay on New Year’s Eve, Evans said. The Fire Department shut off the electricity and the fire system in the building was inoperable, he said.
The rooming house owner, Michael Scanlon, and the local Red Cross helped residents find other accommodations.
According to Evans, six residents went to stay with friends or family while 11 others went to the Atlantic City Rescue Mission.
Disaster Program Specialist for the South Jersey Red Cross Jim Eden said that volunteers registered the occupants at the Red Cross for Direct Client Assistance, which is $125 financial assistance for food and clothing necessary while they are displaced from their homes.
Eden reported that most of the displaced residents were adults except for possibly two elementary school aged children and one infant.
The rooming house has been a source of contention in the city, as the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority issued a Notice of Violation and Order to Abate to Scanlon in April, alleging the rooming house’s 22 rooms and three apartments violate the permitted use of the property. Scanlon filed a complaint against CRDA and the city alleging the owner’s right to due process is being violated and potential enforcement would cause tenants to be evicted without cause.
No one was injured in the fire, which Evans credited to the fast response of Engine 1’s Acting Capt. Paul Hess and his team.
“They’re like Supermen,” the chief said. “It’s remarkable that no one was hurt.”
The fire is under investigation.
