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211 Passaic Street DESTROYED

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ericmartindale:
A spectacular fire has completely gutted a 30+/- boarding house at 211 Passaic Street, just west of First Street. It happened about 9:30 PM Monday evening 5/8/06.  Everyone got out safe.  The rumor on the street  was that one of the residents was looking under his bed for something, and used a cigarette lighter instead of a flashlight. I  heard this rumor with my own ears, but cannot vouch for its accuracy.

Somewhere on this website I posted a prediction that this exact building, the largest and most notorious boarding house in Hackensack, would burn, and that the fire would be caused by a resident there.  No, I'm not clairvoyant.

It's structurally still standing, but a policeman told me "it's gutted front to back and top to bottom".

Well, it looks to me that it is MORE THAN 50% DESTROYED. That means the city can use legal means to prevent it from being rebuilt.  All the city's boarding houses are 100+ year old wood frame buildings, with wood that is tinder-dry, and lots of careless people to potentially cause an accident. These structures are a danger to the inhabitants as well as our firefighters, and they should all be purchased and leveled. The City of Hackensack cannot allow this structure to be refurbished or rebuilt.

211 Passaic Street has been holding down the whole center of Hackensack. Let's wait till we hear official word that everyone got out alive and unscathed, and then I'll have something more to say.

Hey, we've got all the homeless shelters in Hackensack, don't we?? For once we can put them to good use, and fill them with people who actually are Hackensack residents. I never thought I'd see the day that would happen. Well, here it is.  Expect the unexpected, just like it was written in the "Ode to Hackensack"

Editor:
Eric mentioned 211 Passaic here  ("Services for the Homeless" topic, last paragraph).

Editor:

Editor:
Latest story:  Rooming house residents escape Hackensack blaze

ericmartindale:
I thought I’d try my hand at some poetry to express the reality of this current event here in Hackensack.

CHURCH OF ALCOHOL

--- By Eric Martindale, May 10, 2006

A church of alcohol across from a church of God,
Selfish minds and selfish hearts, the wrong path they trod

Under the bed, the bottle cannot be found
Don’t have a flashlight to look round and round

A maze of rooms, the timbers are dry
A careless flick of a bic, it leads many to cry

211 is 911, times-a-tickin’
The mansard roof, flames-a-lickin’

Some Black, some White, all take flight
Pumping water, flames fought with all their might

Surely thinking of Hackensack Ford
Men in uniform praying to the Lord

Enter our bravest who lent a hand
Across Passaic Street, the victims stand

Their eyes are sullen, liquor is on their breath
Like a vulture, the copter circling looks for death

On the 8th of May, the church of alcohol burned at its core
Homeless again this day, back to Peter’s Place for the drunk and more

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