1936 — Feb 12, Fire, Victoria Mansion Hotel, Lexington & Seventh, Lakewood, NJ — 16
Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 11-25-2024 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/
— 16 Lakewood Volunteer Fire Department. The History of the Lakewood Volunteer Fire Dept.
— 16 NFPA. “Fires Causing Large Loss of Life.” 1983 NFPA Handbook, 1984, p. 34.
— 16 NFPA. “Lakewood, N.J., Hotel Fire.” NFPA Quarterly Vol. 29, No, 3, Jan 1936. p. 348.
— 16 Ward. “Hotel Fires: Landmarks in Flames…,” Firehouse, March 1978, p. 41.
Narrative Information
Lakewood Fire Dept.: “The town has had a grim history of tragic fires over the years. February 12, 1936- the Victoria Mansion fire. Located on the southeast corner of Lexington Ave and Seventh Street, The hotel burned to the ground and 16 people were killed.” (Lakewood Volunteer Fire Department (Richard Errickson, Fire Department Historian). “The History of the Lakewood Volunteer Fire Department.”)
National Fire Protection Association: “Sixteen persons lost their lives and seven others were seriously injured when an early morning fire destroyed the Victoria Mansions Hotel in Lakewood, N. J., on the morning of February 12, 1936. The hotel involved was one of several seasonal hotels largely frequented by residents of New York City. Factors combining to cause the large loss or life were quick burning construction, delay in giving the alarm, panic on the part of the guests and their lack of knowledge of fire escapes. The fire department was first called by an occupant of a hotel across the street, but not until the front of the Victoria Mansions Hotel was almost completely involved.
“Construction and Protection. The hotel was .a 56-room, three-story and basement, frame building with stuccoed exterior, erected ten years ago under the name of the Embassy Hotel. Details are lacking as to the interior arrangement, but it appears that stairways were not enclosed and that the finish and furnishings, as well as the construction, were of quickly combustible material.
“At the time of the fire there were fifty-five persons in the building, including thirty-seven guests and eighteen employees and members of the proprietors’ families. The guest rooms were located on the second and third floors. Some of the employees had rooms on the first floor.
“In addition to the front and rear stairways the building was provided with three outside steel fire ‘escapes. One fire escape was located at the rear and two were located on the south side of the building. All third floor rooms not served by an outside fire escape were provided with rope fire escapes. As far as could be determined, only one of the ropes was used. In addition to the fire
escapes the building was equipped with an inside alarm system of the manually operated break-glass type, fire extinguishers, and two standpipes with outlets on each floor provided with one hundred feet of hose at each outlet. The hotel was inspected by the local building inspector on November 5, 1935, and was found to comply with local zoning and building laws relating to fire protection.
“The public fire department consisted of five volunteer companies of eighty active members and equipped with one pumper, an aerial ladder and three combination hose and chemical trucks. One paid man was on continuous duty at fire headquarters and drove one of the trucks. In addition to the active members there were a large number of “exempt” members available for duty at large fires.
“Story of the Fire. The first alarm was turned in by telephone at 6:40 A.M., by the daughter of the owner of the Blumencranz Hotel directly opposite the fire. A general box alarm was turned in about ten seconds later from a box one block distant from the burning building and brought all the fire companies in town. Mr. Blumencranz and his daughter stated that at the time of the alarm, smoke was pouring very heavily from the second and third floors in the center of the building over the lobby and people were already jumping from windows. The fire spread rapidly after this, and early arrivals, including a police sergeant, who saw smoke and started for the fire before the alarm sounded, reported that the front exit was cut off when they arrived. Although it seems obvious that the fire must have been burning for some time, delivery men reported passing the hotel five minutes before the fire was discovered without seeing anything wrong.
“The police sergeant upon arrival made several trips into the building by means of the rear stairway. Although the smoke was very dense he was able to carry three women from the building, whom he found overcome in the hallways. The officer is reported to have stated that several employees appeared more concerned with saving their own property than the rescue of the guests. He stated that he asked a hotel musician to assist him in the rescue work and later found him carrying out a bass drum.
“The paid driver of the fire department stated that on arrival no attempt was made to get water on the fire due to the need of saving lives. Difficulty was experienced in the use of the ladder truck because of telephone and light wires surrounding the building. Three persons were saved by ladders before the ladders caught fire and were rendered useless. The driver also stated that when he arrived one of the second floor beams had fallen, blocking the front entrance. A stiff southwest wind which was blowing spread the fire rapidly and blew smoke through the building. Other persons stated that fifteen minutes elapsed before all the apparatus in the town arrived at the fire, but this is said to have had little bearing on the loss of life, as most of the victims are believed to have been trapped before the alarm was given. The exact time at which the ladder truck arrived is not certain from available information.
“Cause of Loss of Life. Three men, nine women and four children lost their lives in the fire, and seven other occupants were seriously injured. Four of the victims died of burns and injuries after jumping from the burning building. The others were trapped inside and their bodies were later removed from the ashes of the building. Very little rescue work could be done by the fire department due to the great headway of the fire before the alarm was given.
“There were several conflicting rumors concerning the internal alarm system. One was that an employee broke the glass and set off the alarm, thinking that it would call the fire department. The most logical theory was that the wires of the system had been burned before an attempt was made to operate the system.
“Inquiry as to why employees failed to sound an alarm indicated that employees may have all been in the kitchen and did not know of the fire. It is also possible that, in an attempt not to alarm the guests, the fire was fought by private inside equipment. Due to the complete destruction of the building standpipe valves could not be located following the fire to verify this theory. It does not seem probable that the manager intentionally delayed the alarm, as his son and brother were lost in the fire.
“Despite the quick burning construction and lack of protection of vertical openings it appears that there were sufficient exits to permit the occupants to escape without loss of life if all occupants had been immediately notified through the operation of the local alarm system. With no employees continuously on duty during the night and early morning hours, and with no prearranged plan for action in case of fire, this failure of the human element is understandable. An automatic fire alarm system, or an automatic sprinkler system is designed to function in a case such as this, irrespective of the human element.
“Cause of Fire and Loss. Several conflicting theories as to origin of the fire have been advanced. One stated that the fire occurred in a guest room on the second or third floor, due to careless smoking. Early arrivals stated that the fire appeared to be chiefly confined to the upper floors. All agreed that no fire was visible in the basement. The theory advanced by the fire chief is that the fire started in the lobby on the first floor. This is a likely possibility, as the fire had great headway at that point. It appears that the hotel did not maintain night watch or desk service. The hotel…was a total loss.” (NFPA. “Lakewood, N.J., Hotel Fire. NFPA Quarterly Vol. 29, No, 3, Jan 1936. p. 348.)
Sources
Lakewood Volunteer Fire Department (Richard Errickson, Dept. Historian). “The History of the Lakewood Volunteer Fire Department.” Accessed 3-27-2013 at: http://www.lakewoodnjvolunteerfd.org/html/history.html
National Fire Protection Association. “Fires Causing Large Loss of Life.” Handbook of Fire Protection (11th Ed.). Boston, MA: NFPA, 1954, pp. 33-36.
National Fire Protection Association. “Lakewood, N.J., Hotel Fire.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 29, No, 3, Jan 1936. pp. 348-351.
Ward, Neale. “Hotel Fires: Landmarks in Flames, History’s Famous Hotel Fires,” Firehouse, March 1978, pp. 40-45.