Twenty residents and eight families were displaced by early-morning fire Friday in Bernardsville.
BERNARDSVILLE -- Lucy, a single mother of a 13-year-old teen son, was teary-eyed as she talked about the devastating early-morning fire Friday that raced through seven apartments located above the historic Station Restaurant and Bar in the borough.
The blaze, which started at 2:15 a.m., displaced 20 residents and eight families and caused heavy damage to the residences.
Fortunately, there were no injuries to residents or firefighters, and the 115-year-old restaurant sustained only minimal smoke and water damage, authorities said.
"I'm just scare to have to start all over again," said Lucy, who declined to give her last name. "I've been in that apartment for five years. It's a struggle for me and my son. I have no family support. I work and live day by day."
Other residents expressed similar thoughts as they ate lunch in the borough's municipal building. "It's real scary," said Gabriel Cabrara.
Bernardsville Police Chief Kevin J. Valentine said the cause of the blaze is still under investigation.
Emergency Red Cross personnel quickly arrived on the scene as well as county and Bernardsville emergency assistance personnel.
"Right now, the main thing is to give the residents shelter," said Pat Dragunas, a volunteer with the Bernardsville's Citizen Emergency Response Team (CERT). "This is a devastating loss for them."
The Red Cross assisted families in finding immediate shelter, the agency stated in a release. On Monday, the Somerset County Board of Social Services and the borough will assist residents in finding long-term housing, said Valentine, who is also head of the borough's Office of Emergency Management.
Beka Baranoski, who works in the borough's Office of Emergency Management, is asking anyone who wishes to make a donation to the families to call her at 727-480-2471, said Valentine.
"It's a lot of damage," said Valentine. "All three residential floors sustained heavy damage. In one area, the floor collapsed. In another, the ceiling collapsed.
"There's smoke and water damage throughout the structure. There's not a lot left inside for the residents to recover."
The Penguin Ice Cream, which is located next to the Station Restaurant and Bar, didn't sustain any damage, authorities said.
After lunch, residents returned to their apartments to retrieve what was left of their belonging.
"I don't know what I'm going to do," said Lucy. "I told my son all we have is each other. I told him God is on our side."