Monmouth Times

Monmouth County Sheriff's Office issued the following announcement.

#ThrowbackThursday from the #MonmouthCountyArchives Division: Rest Home Fire

Prior to 1984, there were critical gaps between state and county fire safety laws and codes. This discrepancy did not seem significant until a Monmouth County fire ignited a community’s call for change. The Beachview Rest Home was a boarding home for elderly and mentally disabled residents in #Keansburg. In the early morning hours of January 9, 1981, a fire broke out and raged through the building resulting in one of the worst fires in the state’s history. The home was a partially sheltered boarding home/long term care facility, which allowed the building to evade the State’s fire regulations and codes which would have required the building to have fire sprinklers and an alarm system directly linked to a firehouse. Although fire drills were routinely held, the fire took the lives of 30.

As the elderly frantically escaped the flames and firemen fought to subdue the fire, a Monmouth County town came out in droves to offer support. Neighbors and local business owners offered blankets, clothes, and food. Local pastor Rev. George Reid, referred to the community’s efforts as “a miracle of cooperation.” This tragedy not only sparked compassion from Keansburg residents, but also ignited a fierce debate over fire safety codes and regulations. Many of the home’s residents and immediate family members testified in court detailing their ordeal and the call for legislative change ensued.

Although the lengthy process of implementing legislative change curbed residents’ initial demands, dramatic change did occur.   Without the Beachview fire and the call for change from Monmouth County, state lawmakers would have never passed the Fire Safety Act of 1983 as well as establish the Bureau of Fire Safety, which was implemented to record deaths caused by fire and monitor regulations. Even though the Beachview Rest Home Fire was a sobering reminder that it often takes a tragedy to institute change, it also represents a moment when Monmouth County residents came together to aid their fellow citizens.

Source: The Archives' "Facing Adversity: Monmouth Responds in Times of Crisis" Catalog: https://www.monmouthcountyclerk.com/.../exhibit-catalogs.../

Original source can be found here.