One of my favorite radio shows, "On the Media," re-ran a program this week on
the decline of beat reporting. Jackie Schnoop had just posted a comment last night on Facebook about the fire on South Avenue and it made me recall how, in the past, I would have to respond and get the breaking news story no matter how late it was. Now retired for 11 years and no longer driving, I was not inclined to go over there on foot in the dark to get a story for the blog. But I certainly felt the tug of the beat, after covering Plainfield for three decades in weekly, daily and blog formats.
Today I did walk over and found that the fire was not at the
Edward P. Paul building as Jackie thought, but at another of what looks like three industrial buildings spanning the long block between Berckman and Richmond streets. I always thought the leaning Plane trees in front of the Paul building would fall over before any other disaster happened.
Here's a more durable sign than the one Jackie photographed at the link above.
The next building to the east had a lot of broken windows, but no sign of a fire.
These buildings abut the Raritan Valley Line and it looks like most of the windows on the train track side are also broken.
The last building had an open window above some old razor wire on the west side.
The east side, along Berckman Street, had broken glass and debris along with a lot of gang signs and graffiti.
It looked like all the action took place in this part of the building.
Someone left this slogan on a metal door.
Somehow I don't think this is a kitty cat.
Why yes, it is quite shady under the railroad bridge.
So my walk yielded no news, but a lot of interesting sights. Good thing I didn't have to report to the newsroom or I would have had to know the time of the alarm, number and type of responding fire equipment, .estimated damage, mutual aid responders, any injuries, when was the fire out, possible cause, will there be an arson investigation, comments from neighbors, etc., etc. But since I no longer have a press badge, we have to wait for the working press to tell us all that.
--Bernice
Can the city seize that property and use it?
ReplyDeleteThe original police response was to the Edward Paul building, perhaps because it's the only one with a name? I turned on Broadcastify.com to find out it actually became a 3 alarm fire. I know Westfield and I believe South Plainfield responded. You wouldn't know for lack of coverage in mainstream media! That whole area is rather shady. I almost walked there yesterday, but wasn't quite up to it.
ReplyDeleteBernice, Are there any Blogs, etc. of former/active Courier workers detailing the past and present going ons of our once must read town paper? Every time I travel down Rt 22 West in Bridgewater I wonder how such a large building and staff and just disappear. Inside story must be fascinating.
ReplyDeleteHere's part of the story:
Deletehttp://ptalker2.blogspot.com/2013/08/news-biz-so-different.html