Fire at 876 Fairview Street

In the early morning hours of July 2, 2011 a fire was extinguished at 1304 Sheridan Street, and as it was being wrapped up, the corner store at 876 Fairview Street went up in flames, with adjoining homes being damaged by smoke and water. The three-alarm fire destroyed the Fairview Street Market at the corner of South 9th Street. A Gloucester City firefighter broke his ankle and a Camden firefighter was treated for dizziness.

See also: The Fires of the Summer of 2011

A fire caused the collapse of a building containing a store and second-story living area in Camden early this morning. A firefighter reportedly suffered an ankle injury at the scene. It is the latest in a string of fires that have struck buildings containing commercial or vacant buildings in recent weeks, although officials are not saying the fires are connected.

The city fire department was dispatched about 3:45 a.m. Saturday with reports of a heavy fire coming from the second story of the building on the 900 block of Fairview Street. Within minutes, conditions had deteriorated rapidly, with heavy fire engulfing the building. About 4 a.m., a firefighter stumbled and broke his ankle, according to dispatch reports. Channel 6-Action News reported that the firefighter was from Gloucester City. Low water pressure also hampered efforts to battle the blaze.

The front of the building collapsed, according to dispatch reports monitored by Breaking News Network. The three-alarm fire was brought under control about 5 a.m., but not before damaging surrounding residences. Camden suffered at least three major fires in June. Arson was identified as the cause of one, and was suspected in two others. There were no preliminary reports as to the cause of Saturday’s fire.

Associated Press — A fire in Camden, N.J., has consumed a corner store, severely damaged two homes and injured two firefighters. WPVI-TV reports that the blaze broke out early Saturday inside a store on the 900 block of Fairview Street. The store collapsed, and the fire spread to neighboring homes. Two homes were severely damaged, and two vacant homes also suffered damage.

Fire investigators told the station that a Gloucester City firefighter broke his ankle, while a Camden firefighter was treated for dizziness. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Last month, three huge fires struck abandoned industrial buildings in Camden. One of them was ruled an arson. The other two are also considered suspicious.

Two firefighters were hurt this morning battling a blaze that began about 4 a.m. on the 900 block of Fairview in Camden. The fire consumed a corner store, according to the Associated Press, and damaged two nearby homes. This marks the largest fire in the city since the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives ruled a fire at an abandoned plant last month to be arson. That fire was the third in a string of major blazes at abandoned buildings. CourierPostOnline.com will post additional information as it is confirmed.

By Joe Cooney

Nearly 10 years ago, Camden convenience store owner Kiki Gonzalez sold a $32 million lottery ticket that earned her a $10,000 bonus. Early Saturday morning, her luck ran out as another multi-alarm fire in the city destroyed her store and home. Two firefighters were injured battling the three-alarm blaze, which broke out about 4 a.m. A firefighter from Gloucester City broke his ankle, and a Camden firefighter suffered a shoulder injury. It was Camden’s fourth major fire in less than a month.

Gonzalez, owner of the Fairview Street Market at the corner of South 9th Street, watched solemnly Saturday morning as a backhoe demolished the remains of her store and the apartment above it and moved the charred remains into a huge pile of rubble. An adjoining rowhome, also owned by Gonzalez, was severely damaged. The occupied house next door and two other houses, both abandoned, were slightly damaged. Gonzalez was not home at the time of the fire.

“My neighbors said she heard something like an explosion,” said Gonzalez, the mother of eight grown children. “My kids were raised here and everything.”

The string of Camden fires began June 9 when a blaze broke out at an abandoned tire warehouse. One of the biggest fires in the city’s history, the inferno went to 12 alarms, spread over several blocks at Chestnut and Orchard streets, and ultimately destroyed or damaged as many as 20 homes. Two days later, an eight-alarm fire burned down a former mill and a neighboring home at 4th and Winslow streets in the city’s Waterfront South section. Both of those fires are listed by officials as suspicious and are still being investigated. On June 19, a six-alarm blaze at 17th and Federal streets gutted the former Concord Chemical plant. Federal officials said that inferno was intentionally set. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has announced a $5,000 reward for information in the case.

Mary Luhrs, 64, has been renting the home next to Gonzalez for 17 years. Her son Jeremy, 28, was spending the night with her. “Jeremy woke me up about 4 o’clock,” the former health worker said. “We ran down the steps, I grabbed my cellphone and called the fire department.” The younger Luhrs said his mother would stay with friends for a while and then “we’ll take it from there. I don’t know what the landlord will want to do.”

Indya Gonzalez, 24, said she got a call from her mother and brothers about the fire. “I got dressed as quick as I could and came right down.” As she watched the demolition taking place, Indya shrugged when asked about how she was feeling. “It’s sad. But what are you gonna do?”

Camden fire officials could not be reached for comment on the cause of the fire, but both Gonzalez women say they believe it was another case of arson. “There’s a firebug out here,” said Kiki Gonzalez, who has owned her store for 34 years. “They (firefighters) had one of those sniffing dogs out here.” Kiki Gonzalez said she had no insurance, but had called her lawyer and was waiting for him to meet with her. “He’ll tell me how much it’s gonna cost, and if the Lord’s willing, I’ll go right down to the bank, get a loan and rebuild.

“I just thank God nobody was hurt. I would be dying if someone got hurt.”