By alison granito
Staff Writer
VERONICA YANKOWSKI The day after a fire, signs of damage were evident to the historic Farmers National Bank building on the corner of Main Street and Route 526 in Allentown.
ALLENTOWN — A borough landmark was severely damaged by a fire that ripped through the historic building late on Dec. 22.
The triangular-shaped, two-story, red-brick building on the corner of North Main Street and Route 526, which was the former Farmers National Bank building, remained boarded up at press time.
The historic district in Allentown, in which the bank building sits, is a part of the National Register of Historic Places.
Fire companies drawn from all over the local area assisted Allentown’s Hope Fire Company in battling the blaze, including units from Millstone, Washington, New Egypt, Plumsted, Groveville, Hamilton, and East Windsor.
The back of a Millstone residence on Sweetman’s Lane was severely damaged by a fire that occurred on Dec. 22.
Fire officials have listed the official cause of the fire, which was reported around 8:30 p.m., as accidental.
Area roads, including Route 526, were closed for several hours as a result of the blaze.
Elaine McMinn, a member of the Upper Freehold/Allentown First Aid Squad who responded to the scene of the fire, described the blaze as spectacular.
"The smoke was billowing in clouds out of the building," she said.
PHOTOS BY VERONICA YANKOWSKI The charred remains of a Christmas tree sit on the front lawn of a Sweetman’s Lane residence. The tree was the alleged cause of a house fire.
"It was really quite frightening knowing that there were gas stations across the street," she added.
McMinn also said that some nearby businesses stayed open all night to serve coffee to accommodate the needs of the emergency personnel.
An additional fire was reported in the area on Dec. 22 at a Sweetman’s Lane residence in Millstone Township.
According to fire officials, a Christmas tree in the home caught fire, causing some damage to the home.
Additional information on the incident was unavailable at press time.