Fire at senior housing complex claims one life

Staff Writer

By natalie m. vena

Fire at senior housing
complex claims one life

OLD BRIDGE — A fire that erupted at the Old Bridge Rotary senior housing complex on Ticetown Road Thursday claimed the life of one of its residents.

Sam Weisberg, 82, died Saturday morning at St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston after suffering severe burns.

According to south Old Bridge fire officials, the fire began in Weisberg’s fourth-floor apartment, where he was living alone. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but preliminary speculation suggests that the fire may have been started by a malfunctioning heating pad, blanket or radio.

Some of the seniors evacuated last week returned to the complex yesterday.

"Seniors that live on the first or second floor were able to return on Tuesday," said Mary Anne Amato, manager of the 204-apartment complex.

A meeting with township fire code officials was being held Tuesday afternoon to determine when the rest of the seniors would be able to return to the complex.

The damage from the fire left 84 people temporarily homeless. Seventy-six apartments suffered severe water damage, according to Amato.

The American Red Cross helped relocate displaced seniors last week, transporting about 28 seniors to two motels on Route 18 in East Brunswick. The remainder of the seniors moved in temporarily with relatives, according to Harleen Sandhu, a Red Cross spokeswoman.

The fire began at approximately 7 a.m. Thursday morning. Old Bridge firefighters responded to the scene quickly and extinguished the fire before it spread to other floors, said Amato.

Two workers were injured while they were helping residents escape the blaze.

Wayne Braun, a security man, and Ron Wait, supervisor of maintenance, suffered smoke inhalation, according to police. Waitt was treated at the scene and Braun was transported to Raritan Bay Medical Center, Old Bridge division, where he was treated and released, according to police.

The Office on Aging responded to the complex to assist seniors.

"We spent 16 hours at the scene," said Helen Rende, director of the Office on Aging. "We worked with the Emergency Management Team and the Red Cross to ensure the safety of the seniors and to help retrieve medications from their apartments."

Last Friday, Rende brought a van to the motels where the seniors are staying to "see what their needs are." The van was used to transport seniors back to the complex to retrieve necessities. The van was also used to transport seniors to a local retail store that donated clothing and necessities.