Firefighter Dies Fighting 4-Alarm NJ Fire

A Monmouth County firefighter died Sunday night while fighting a four-alarm fire at a commercial building in Union Beach, officials said.

The 54-year-old volunteer firefighter collapsed outside of the building Sunday evening, officials said.

The firefighter's name was not released, pending an autopsy and the notification of his family, according to Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office spokesman Charles Webster. But the Newark Star-Ledger reported that a sign outside Union Hose Fire Co. (hash)1 said "Ultimate Sacrifice, Bob Meyer, June 8 2014."

Michael Pasterchick, chief of detectives for the prosecutor's office, told the Star-Ledger that the firefighter was outside of the building when he died.

"Our hearts go out to all his fellow firefighters, the police everyone who responded here today," he said.

No other injuries were reported. The fire was under control late Sunday.

Union Beach Police Capt. Chuck Ervin told the Asbury Park Press that the building on Union Avenue houses a company that manufactures hydraulics.

"I saw lots of flames, and thick black smoke," Donna Covert, who lives several doors down from the site of the fire, told the Asbury Park Press. She said the building contained "chemicals, oil and other stuff."

The building is a few block from the Raritan Bay. The town was heavily damaged by Superstorm Sandy.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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