Coaster Photo
Fire damaged the former convent at Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Church on Second Avenue in Asbury Park.
By MICHELLE GLADDEN
An early Monday morning fire has damaged all three floors of an historic Asbury Park structure that once served as a convent, Fire Chief Kevin Keddy said.
“There is significant loss,” he said.
Firefighters who responded to the 12:20 am Monday call saw noticeable flames at the former Holy Spirit Church, located on Second Avenue, and bordered by Third Avenue, Bond and Main streets.
They immediately evacuated the Third Avenue condos that once housed the church’s school because flames ravaged through the convent’s first and second floors.
Located 10 feet from the main structure, firefighters initially opted for an interior line of attack, meaning stretching lines within the building. It was a loud crash, either from a smoke explosion or backdraft, that made them quickly switch tactics.
“There was a lot of fire in the attic space, what we call the cockloft,” Keddy explained. “We made ventilation holes in the roof, and as our firefighters made their way off, there was an explosion. It was really loud. We immediately evacuated everyone [first-responders] and went to a defensive strategy.”
This meant laying exterior lines, including along the roof of a neighboring property, Keddy explained. The blaze was brought under control by 5:30 am and officials remained on scene until noon Tuesday.
Keddy confirmed that an unidentified person found wandering out a vacant area of the property was transported to a nearby hospital and subsequently released.
“That person was conscious,” he said.
Mutual aid responses came from Sea Bright to Spring Lake, including Neptune Township EMS, the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office, and Medstar Ambulance.
