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!"
Partyline
RED TRUCKS AT RED ROCK
A small dishwasher fire at Red Rock Tap and Grill was put out quickly by firefighters overnight, causing minimal damage. Red Bank Fire Depar ...
CREATIVE COVER UP
The windows of Pearl Street Consignment on Monmouth Street were smashed when a driver crashed their car through them injuring an employee la ...
THEY’RE BACK!
Ospreys returned to the skies over Red Bank this week for the first time since they migrated to warmer climes in late fall. With temperature ...
SPRING IS SPRUNG
RED BANK: Spring 2024 arrives on the Greater Red Bank Green with the vernal equinox at 11:06 p.m. Tuesday.
RED BANK’S FINEST – AND NEWEST
Red Bank Police Officer Eliot Ramos was sworn in as the force’s newest patrolman Thursday, and if you’re doing a double take thinkin ...
EASTER EGG MAYHEM AT THE PARK
An errant whistle spurred an unexpectedly early start to the Spring Egg Hunt on Sunday, which had been scheduled to begin at eggsactly 11am ...
PRESEASON DOCKWORK
RED BANK: With winter winding down, marina gets ready for boating season with some dockwork on our beautiful Navesink River.
CORNED BEEF AND DISCO FRIES?
It’s Friday, and smart Lent-observing Leprechauns know the pot of gold at the end of Red Bank’s rainbow is actually the deliciou ...
SURFBOARD DITCHED
It’s a violation of etiquette in surfing to ditch your board.  (it could hit another surfer and hurt them). But someone appears to ha ...
ELSIE, TAKE ME WITH YOU!
Soaked by pouring rain with the temperature hovering in the low 40’s, this sign in the window of Elsie’s Subs on Monmouth Street ...
WALK THIS WAY
PARTYLINE: Before-and-afters of a sidewalk cleanup on West Street.
SOGGY NOTION
RED BANK: Breezeway sculpture captured the mood downtown as heavy rains fell Saturday morning.
HOME DELIVERY
RED BANK: After a subdivision, an instant house rises on a new Catherine Street lot.
COMMUNITY PROFILES
For Black History Month, Red Bank's Community Engagement and Equity Advisory Committee has been running a series of local profiles on Facebo ...
HEARTY FAREWELL FOR HARDY
RED BANK: Council to honor DPU supervisor Rich Hardy, who retired recently after almost 39 years of keeping things running.
HOMEBOUND? READ ON…
RED BANK: Can't get to the public library? It's now offering free delivery and pickups for homebound borough residents.
TAMING A BEAST OF A WEEK
RED BANK: After the second snowfall of the week, a borough family finds the perfect use for it – a Godzilla snow sculpture.
RED BANK: LIBRARY CLOSED, BUT THE HILL’S OPEN
RED BANK: Though the library was closed by a snowstorm, kids got to enjoy the riverfront property's steep slope Tuesday.
LIGHT(HOUSE) MAKEOVER
This year, getting ready for spring means a midwinter makeover for Strollo's Lighthouse in Red Bank.
TODAY: LOCAL PUPPY COMPETES ON ANIMAL PLANET’S “PUPPY BOWL”
Red Bank’s very own rescue puppy, Biscuit, is set to compete in Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl this Sunday, February 11, at 2 PM. Th ...