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| Jan. 22, 1938 blaze at Hotel Manhattan. Photo: patersonfirehistory.com |
Major fires struck Paterson's Hotel Manhattan on three occasions, one of which resulted it the death of a firefighter.
On May 24, 1920, firefighters used life nets to catch guests leaping from the hotel after a blaze broke out in its laundry room.
Several people were injured, including Firefighter William Smith who ``suffered a severe laceration when he fell 50 feet from a ladder after he had carried a woman and a man to safety,'' according to The New York Times said.
Box 14 at 237-243 Market Street was struck at 2:50 a.m. and went to three alarms.
On March 31, 1931 and again on Jan. 22, 1938, the hotel was the scene of three-alarm fires, according to patersonfirehistory.com.
At the 1931 blaze, David Johnstone, engineer of Engine 8, was uncoupling hose when a car plowed through fire lines and struck him down, according to the Paterson Evening News.
The driver, Anthony DeStefano, was charged with reckless driving and atrocious assault.
Johnstone died April 2 at the Paterson General Hospital.
Four other firefighters - Andrew Swords and Edward Heintzeman of Engine 6, Edward Christensen and John Hill of Engine 9 - were overcome by smoke at the 1931 fire, according to the Paterson Morning Call.