Harrison Fire Department Provides Mutual Aid In Kearny Fire

On Sunday, June 26, 2022, the Harrison Fire Department provided the Kearny Fire Department with Mutual Aid in a 5 alarm fire in the neighboring Town of Kearny.  The Harrison Fire Department was joined by the Jersey City Fire Department, North Arlington Fire Department, Belleville Fire Department, North Hudson Firefighters Association, and Bayonne Fire Department in Kearny.  The Hoboken Fire Department and Secaucus Fire Department provided fire coverage for the Town of Kearny during the fire to answer any potential calls that came in during the fire. Officers from the Kearny Police Department assisted with initial efforts to evacuate the two buildings and closed off Laurel Avenue during the fire and provided traffic control and security at the scene.

The fire started around 10:30 a.m. in one house on the 200 Block of  Laurel Avenue in Kearny and then spread to an adjacent building before it was put out three hours later at approximately 1:30 p.m.  Kearny Fire Fighters remained on the scene through the night to ensure there were no remnants of the building that would reignite.

The Red Cross assisted with providing temporary housing for three displaced families who could not go back into their homes.

Pastor Father Joe Mancini of the Saint Stephen's Roman Catholic Church located at 676 Kearny Avenue, Kearny which is up the block from homes that sustained fire damage announced that all of the displaced families were parishioners of Saint Stephen’s Church.  Father Joe Mancini express gratitude that no person was physically hurt by the fire.

To assist the displaced families, St. Stephen’s Church will be accepting donations of gift cards to grocery and retail stores.  Although there will be other opportunities to donate items to the families, St. Stephen’s Church at this time is only accepting gift cards or checks made payable to “Saint Stephen’s Charity Fund”.  If a check is made the memo section should indicate “Fire Assistance”.  It was noted that the children of the displaced families are 8 and 10 years old and two teenagers in High School.

More information will be provided as parishioners organize fundraising and clothing and furniture drives for the families. Please note if you are donating a gift card or writing a check there is a drop box slot where the donations can be placed after hours or when the Rectory office is closed.   The Rectory Office is on the Washington Avenue side of the Church.

Photo credits: Mark Isabella, Sr. (fire photographs) via Kearny Fire Department Facebook page and Saint Stephen's Roman Catholic Church (church photo)

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