By JACQUELINE DURETT
Correspondent
SAYREVILLE — Assistant Fire Chief George Gawron spoke emotionally at the Aug. 22 Borough Council meeting about his role in saving four people who were trapped in a house fire earlier that day.
The two-alarm fire at 11 Jacobsen St. started at about 2 p.m. He said he and Officer Brian Gay were the first to arrive on the scene. He said they both immediately knew that they would not be able to enter the second floor where four people were trapped.
He said as he and Gay arrived, one resident jumped out of the second-floor window. Soon nearby residents came to the house with a ladder, but as they were getting it set up, a child jumped out of the second-floor window into Gay’s arms, Gawron said.
At that point, Gawron started choking up as he spoke of the woman and month-old baby who were still trapped on the second floor.
The woman, he said, “hung out a carriage or a basket with the one-month-old baby in it. And we were telling her, ‘Drop the baby, we have it.’”
The woman was subsequently rescued by ladder.
Following Gawron’s account, the council and members of the audience applauded.
After the meeting, Gawron said South River assisted Sayreville with the fire. He said the fire took about three and a half hours to clear.
Fire Inspector Kevin Krushinski said the blaze appears to have been caused by discarded smoking material on the deck. Officials have tentatively ruled out other causes.
As for the family, he said, “Everybody’s doing well, as far as I know,” he said.
At the meeting, officials had praise and gratitude for the first responders, saying it is volunteers like Gawron and his colleagues who make Sayreville special.
”We’re proud of you and we’re grateful that you’re here, and the people of Sayreville couldn’t be in better hands,” Mayor Kennedy O’Brien said.
“There are no words of thank you to really truly express what our volunteers do every single day,” Councilwoman Victoria Kilpatrick said.
Councilman Steven Grillo said the first responders demonstrated “gallant bravery” in the situation.
“[Gawron] was obviously overcome thinking about that infant being thrown out of a window to survive,” he said. “That’s a really incredible thing that volunteers in our town are able to do, so thank you, gentlemen. I’m glad that everyone was able to walk away safe.”
Council President Dan Buchanan also praised the first responders; also in his comments, he addressed problems at the firehouses in the Melrose and Morgan sections.
“Both of these buildings need work, a lot of work,” he said, pointing out issues such as mold and a broken and leaking air conditioning unit and more. “Obviously, these guys are out there risking their lives, and now they’re coming back and running into mold and dilapidated buildings.”
