1984 — Oct 18, Arson Fire, Alexander Hamilton residential Hotel, Paterson, NJ — 15

— 15  National Fire Protection Association. Key Dates in Fire History.  1996.

— 15  Paterson Fire History. “Alexander Hamilton Hotel, October 18, 1984.”

 

Narrative Information

 

Paterson Fire History: “On Oct. 18, 1984, an arson fire swept the shabby Alexander Hamilton Hotel in downtown Paterson – a once elegant building that fell into disrepair – killing 15 people and injuring about 60 others. ‘People were screaming, trying to tie sheets and blankets together to get out the windows,’ said hotel resident Lusylvia Rivera, 33, quoted by the Associated Press. She fled with her three children from a room on the first floor of the residential hotel. ‘The ones who were more scared just went ahead and jumped,’ Rivera said.

 

“Battalion Chief Frank Crampton said Paterson firefighters encountered ‘very poor visibility, panicky people, unconscious people lying on floors,’ according to the AP. “Harry Moore, who escaped from the second floor with his wife and two babies, said ‘It happened all of the sudden,’ according to the AP. ‘A girl knocked on the door and screamed, ‘Get out of the place,'” Moore said. ‘When we got out, the place was in flames. We grabbed what we could, the babies first of course.’

 

“Investigators determined paint and other materials stored in the hotel fueled the flames….

 

“Some victims succumbed to their injuries days later, including Christino Ramirez, 53, who died Oct. 24 at Hackensack Medical Center’s burn unit. ‘’When he arrived here he had third-degree burns over 90 percent of his body,’’ said Lisa Hoffman, a hospital spokeswoman quoted by United Press International.

 

“Russell W. Conklin, 44, a TV repairman and resident of the hotel, was convicted of manslaughter and arson and sentenced to prison on Nov. 6, 1985. The Washington Post described Conklin as ‘an embittered handyman who may have been drunk.’ Paterson Mayor Frank X. Graves, quoted by the AP, said Conklin ‘had a fight with the night manager. He’s the one that supposedly started the fire. The manager locked the guy in the room. He lit the sheets on fire and climbed out the back window. The suspect is saying this.’ Conklin served more than a decade behind bars and was released from a state prison on April 23, 1997, according to the web site of the New Jersey Department of Corrections….” (Paterson Fire History. “Alexander Hamilton Hotel, October 18, 1984.”)

 

NYT, Oct 19: “Paterson, N.J., Oct. 18 — A fire believed to have been set by an arsonist swept through the first floor of a downtown residential hotel here early today, killing 13 people and injuring 57, four of them critically…. One man, his clothes afire, jumped from an upper story to the street.

 

“A part-time television repairman, Russell William Conklin, 44 years old, who lived and worked at the hotel was charged with murder and aggravated arson….

 

“The blaze, which was reported at 12:11 A.M., spread quickly through the hotel’s first floor, sending columns of smoke up stairwells and utility shafts.

 

“The rooms of the hotel, the Alexander Hamilton, occupy the six upper floors of an eight-story building at Market and Church Streets….

 

“Officials said those killed – nine men and four women, all adults – died of smoke inhalation. The four victims in critical condition suffered burns and broken limbs. Five victims were found in their beds, three in the stairwells and the rest in hallways, the officials said….

 

“Those not seriously injured but left homeless by the blaze – nearly 100 men, women and children – were sheltered in the gymnasium of nearby John F. Kennedy High School….

 

“The police said 143 people were registered at the 150-unit hotel at the time of the fire. Some were on welfare; others were transients or long-term residents. Most arrived at Kennedy High School with only what they wore. One man was in a green hospital gown….

 

“…the building did not have a sprinkler system. State fire codes do not require one.

 

Sources

 

National Fire Protection Association. Key Dates in Fire History. 1996. Accessed 2010 at:  http://www.nfpa.org/itemDetail.asp?categoryID=1352&itemID=30955&URL=Research%20&%20Reports/Fire%20statistics/Key%20dates%20in%20fire%20history&cookie%5Ftest=1

 

New York Times (Michael Norman). “13 Killed and 57 Injured in Hotel Fire in Paterson.” 10-19-1984. Accessed 2-14-2017 at: http://www.nytimes.com/1984/10/19/nyregion/13-killed-and-57-injured-in-hotel-fire-in-paterson.html

 

Paterson Fire History. “Alexander Hamilton Hotel, October 18, 1984.” Accessed 2-14-2017 at: http://www.patersonfirehistory.com/alexander-hamilton-hotel.html984