Skip to content

A town square for an unsquare town

redbankgreen

Standing for the vitality of Red Bank, its community, and the fun we have together.

TWO COPS ESCAPE FIRE AT METROPOLITAN

metropolitan-fire-3The fire appeared to be confined to a space above the bedroom ceiling of a second-floor unit. Below, Patrolman Bob Campanella, who was inside when the ceiling fell, talks to unit owner Todd Tretsky and his fiance, Michele Williams. (Click to enlarge)

metropolitan-fire-1Two Red Bank police officers narrowly dodged serious injury when a ceiling collapsed in a fire at the luxury Metropolitan apartments on Wallace Street Tuesday evening.

The cops were responding to a report of smoke in a second-floor corner unit when the ceiling collapsed, showering the room with burning debris and hot water, one of them told redbankgreen.

“Two feet to the right, that would have been us,” said Patrolman Bob Campanella, who was with Patrolman George Travostino. “The burns would have been bad.”

metropolitan-fire-2A firefighter enters the second-floor bedroom above which the fire occurred. (Click to enlarge)

Firefighters were still on the scene at about 7:30 p.m., uncertain if they had fully extinguished the fire.

Unit owner Todd Tretsky said officials told him the fire appeared to be electrical in nature and might have been burning for hours before it began filling the apartment with smoke.

Tretsky told redbankgreen he had just returned home from work shortly before 7 p.m. and found his fiance, Michele Williams, in the hallway playing with children.

“I opened the door and saw smoke, and asked Michele if she knew what was going on,” he said. “She didn’t know anything about it.”

Answering Tretsky’s call to 911, Travostino and Campanella were in a corner bedroom unit trying to determine the source of the smoke when the ceiling came crashing in, dumping hot water and burning materials, Campanella said.

“One of them yelled, ‘Get everybody out,'” Tretsky said.

Reports of two officers trapped in the unit brought an outpouring of volunteer fire, first aiders and police to the scene, and the building’s occupants were evacuated, authorities said. No injuries were reported immediately.

Onlookers watched as a firefighter climbed into the bedroom from an exterior ladder.

Authorities speculated that the water accumulated above the ceiling from a sprinkler triggered by the blaze, but cautioned they had not had an opportunity to examine the scene.

The 37-unit Metropolitan was built in 2008 as an upmarket condo project, with some units priced as high as $1.2 million. But the unsold units were converted to rentals, at monthly rates of $2,600 to $3,200, in 2009 after sales went nowhere and an attempt to sell them at auction failed.

Remember: Nothing makes a Red Bank friend happier than to hear "I saw you on Red Bank Green!"
redbankgreen Classics
Partyline
RBMS HOOPS CHAMPS HONORED
The Red Bank Middle School girls basketball team is honored for their championship season. (click for more)
NAVESINK SUNSET
Sunset sunburst over Riverside Gardens Park (photo by Partyline contributor Thomas Doremus)
RIVERSIDE SUNSET
Sunday’s sunset shot from Riverside Gardens Park. (Photo by Partyline contributor Thomas Doremus) —
MARINE PARK SUNSET
Stunning sunset from Red Bank's Marine Park.
GULLS AND GRAY OVER MOLLY PITCHER INN
On a cold rainy spring day, bulls soared high above the Navesink River and the golden cupola of Red Bank's Molly Pitcher Inn.
Red Bank Commuters Enjoy Stunning Sunrise Over Navesink River
Thursday morning sunrise over the Navesink River, a commuter view from NJ Transit Train 3320. (photo by Partyline contributor Karly Swaim) & ...
SUNRISE OVER MONMOUTH STREET
Sunrise over Monmouth Street Thursday morning (photo by Partline contributor Thomas Doremus)
FINAL STRAW FOR MARINE PARK REMAKE
Workers place a straw covering over the now-dirt (soon to be grass) stretch of Marine Park that had been an asphalt parking lot for generati ...
DEER IN RED BANK
Dear Friends –Original before GPT– Deer Friends
GHOSTBUSTERS ON MONMOUTH STREET
Ghostbusters vehicle spotted on Monmouth Street. (photo by Partyline contributor Roseann DalPra)
BOAT CLUB AND BATTLESHIP GREY
Monmouth Boat Club under the past weekend’s clouds. (Photo by Partyline contributor Thomas Doremus)    
CURBSIDE BLOOMS
Broad Street beautified. (photo and text by Partyline contributor Boris Kofman)  
NEW MURAL TAKES SHAPE AT CANNABIS SHOP
Red Bank artist Michael White, donning a hat fitting for the day of the New York Mets’ home opener, works on a new mural at Canopy Cro ...
CHERRY BLOSSOMS ABOUND IN RED BANK
Cherry blossoms are everywhere! (photo and text by Partyline contributor Boris Kofman)  
DOWNTOWN RED BANK ON A FRIDAY AFTERNOON
Downtown on a Friday afternoon. (partyline Photo by Thomas Doremus)  
LIGHTS ON THE NAVESINK
Thursday’s post-sunset clouds over the Navesink (Partyline photo by Thomas Doremus)  
A SPRING IN THE STEP
A man walks carrying a bouquet of flowers beneath the blooming trees in Red Bank. (Partyline photo by John T. Ward)  
ROWING INTO SPRING
Beyond the magnolia trees in full bloom at the Red Bank Library, the Navesink River Rowing Advanced Youth Program heads out for their weekda ...
RED BANK GREEN VISITS AUSTRALIA
Publisher Kenny Katzgrau is representing Red Bank and Red Bank Green at the Local and Independent News Association Summit in Melbourne, Aust ...
MAGNOLIA IN BLOOM
My neighbors’ magnificent magnolia. (photo and text by Partyline contributor Raseann Dal Pra)