NJ.com
HIGH BRIDGE, N.J. — For Jeff Smith, a borough firefighter for 33 years, the blaze thatdestroyed the building at 81 W. Main St was “one of the biggest I’ve been involved with.”
Imagine the young volunteers, those who have only been donning their gear for a few years. It’s something they’ll always remember. Seven firefighters were inside the building when colleagues outside noticed that the smoke was changing color, from gray to a very rich black. That was a sign that “there’s a lot going on, things are starting to be (quickly) consumed, Smith explained.
And it meant the firemen inside were in danger. Immediately the universal alarm was sounded: three 10-second blasts of the air horns on the nearby fire trucks. That means, get out right away. Within minutes the second floor collapsed, the roof collapsed, and the firefighters turned to a “defensive” effort of protecting the nearby buildings, Smith said.
Full story: Training helps seven firefighters escape burning High Bridge building