DECEMBER 26, 2002

TWO-ALARM STRUCTURE FIRE

303 Route 518, Hopewell Township

On Thursday, December 26, 2002, one crew from Lawrence Road Fire Co. responded to a two-alarm structure fire in Hopewell Township, as other Station 22 members responded, during the same incident, to cover Pennington Borough’s firehouse.

The fire at 303 Lambertville-Hopewell Road (Route 518), near the corner of New Road, started in the two-bay garage located on Side B of the single-story home. It was reported by a neighbor at 3:17 p.m. and the first alarm on Box 52-40 was immediately transmitted by the Mercer County Central Communications Center.

The garage was engulfed with flames when Hopewell Borough Deputy Fire Chief Ed Van Doren arrived on the scene at 3:25 p.m. He quickly ordered a second alarm.

The second alarm was transmitted at 3:28 p.m. Dispatched on that alarm was Lawrence Road’s Rescue 22.

Rescue 22 responded at 3:31 p.m. with Assistant Chief Wayne Hannon in command, Paid Driver Robert Santello driving, and a crew that consisted of Capt. Patrick Kent, Lt. Shaun Dlabik, Ff. Ed Budzinski, and Ff. Michael Ratcliffe. Responding in Car 22-1 were Deputy Chief Richard Farletta and his son, Ff. Matt Farletta.

In addition to Rescue 22, the following apparatus all responded to the fireground: Rescue 52, Engine 52 and Tanker 52 from Hopewell Borough; Engine 51, Tanker 51, and Ladder Tower 51 from Pennington Borough; Telesquirt 53 and Tanker 53 from Union-Titusville Fire Co.; Engine 50 from Hopewell Valley Emergency Services (Hopewell’s career crew); Telesquirt 23 and Ladder Tower 23 from Lawrenceville; a tanker from Montgomery Fire Co. #1 (Somerset County Station 45); an engine from Montgomery Fire Co. #2 (Somerset County Station 46); an engine from Rocky Hill Fire Co. (Somerset County Station 53); a tanker from Griggstown Fire Co. (Somerset County Station 35); and a tanker from Upper Makefield Fire Co. (Bucks County, Pa., Station 71).

Several 1.75-inch hoselines were placed in service to attack the blaze and the bulk of the fire was knocked down by 3:45 p.m. Rescue 22 arrived on scene at 3:47 p.m. and its cascade system was immediately put to work. Rescue 22’s crew eventually refilled about three dozen SCBA bottles.

Ultimately, the garage was completely destroyed, its roof partially collapsed. But the rest of the home was saved from the flames, although it did sustained a significant amount of smoke and water damage. No one was hurt.
Homeowners Marlon and Celia Bernstein were in Florida on vacation at the time. The house was assessed in 2002 at $134,600 and the land at another $93,100, according to data filed with Mercer County.

Starting about 4:30 p.m., many of the units that responded on the second alarm were released from the fireground by Deputy 52. Rescue 22, however, remained on scene because its crew was still refilling SCBA bottles.

The time that Rescue 22 left the scene was not logged by Mercer County Central but Rescue 22 was back in quarters at the Lawrence Road firehouse by 5:40 p.m. The last apparatus to leave, Rescue 52, cleared at 6:03 p.m.

During the incident, Mercer County Central relocated Lawrence Road’s Engine 22 to the Pennington Borough firehouse for cover-up purposes. Also sent to stand by with Engine 22 at Station 51 were Ladder Tower 31 from Prospect Heights Fire Co. and a tanker from Sergeantsville Fire Co. (Hunterdon County Station 47).

Engine 22 to dispatched to cover Station 51 at 3:39 p.m. and responded at 3:42 p.m., with Ff. Charles Commini as officer, Ff. Joseph Dlabik Sr. as driver, and Ff. Joseph Dlabik Jr. and Ff. Walter Hlewicki as crew.

Engine 22 reached Station 51 at 3:51 p.m. Since Rescue 22’s crew was being utilized solely for cascade operations at the scene, Shaun Dlabik went with Deputy Chief Farletta and his son to Station 51. Lt. Dlabik and Matt Farletta then joined Engine 22’s crew. Engine 22 stood by at the Pennington Borough firehouse until 5:26 p.m. without receiving any assignments, and then returned to Station 22 by 5:40 p.m.

An investigation into the cause of the fire was conducted by Hopewell Township Fire Marshal Jason Belmont, Hopewell Township Police Detectives Dan McKeown and Lance Maloney, Detective Gary Wasko from Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, and Mercer County Assistant Fire Marshal John Kubilewicz.

Based on their investigation, the fire was determined to have been arson and a suspect, Kenneth F. Bacorn, 38, of Lambertville, was subsequently arrested and charged with setting the fire.

Bacorn, a roofing contractor and former Lambertville volunteer firefighter who spent time in prison in 1994 after being convicted of a Hunterdon County arson, had recently had a dispute with the Bernsteins over work he had done for them. Police alleged Bacorn had set the blaze as retaliation against the homeowners.

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