Fire damages Boonton funeral home owned by former New Jersey Governor Codey

Lina Portman4 weeks ago

20 2 minutes read

BOONTON — As New Jersey voters cast their ballots Tuesday night, one of their former governors was assessing the damage to his business here in the Morris County town.

A two-alarm fire that broke out in the roof caused “significant damage” to the Codey & Mackey Funeral Home owned by former Gov. Dick Codey, according to Boonton Fire Chief Anthony Consentino.

Codey, who was at the home when the fire was detected, said the building was salvageable. He praised the speed of intervention of the local firefighters.

“They did a great job,” Codey said. “I wasn't surprised. I've seen what they do since I've been here.”

The Democrat, who also holds the record for the state's longest-serving lawmaker, stood in front of the stately three-story Victorian home on Main Street as firefighters gathered their hoses and completed their investigation.

Cosentino said his department was dispatched at 4:29 p.m. and saw “smoke coming from the roof.” Firefighters confirmed that “a roofer was working on the scene before our arrival.”

Watering lines were extended through the front door to the third floor, and another up to the third floor via a ladder. The fire was deemed under control at 5:11 p.m., by which time support teams had arrived in force on the scene.

Three firefighters were evaluated for heat exhaustion during the response, which occurred as temperatures reached the 80s. Two were taken to St. Clare Hospital for evaluation by the county's office of emergency management by Morris. OEM manager Jeff Paul said they were in good condition.

Roof repair gone wrong?

Cosentino said roofers were finishing a repair job when they noticed smoke and tried to stop it with three fire extinguishers, “unsuccessfully because the fire was in a gap out of their reach” between a roof and another pre-existing roof.

“Crews came in and established that there was a decent fire between two separate roofs between the second and third floors,” Cosentino said.

Codey said no services were being held at that time. He was there to prepare for a future service when the fire broke out.

“I don’t know, maybe a spark or something,” started the fire, Codey speculated.

Most of the damage was due to water. » said Cosentino. The fire remains under investigation.

Out-of-town support for the dual alarm call came from Parsippany, Lake Hiawatha, Mount Tabor, Denville, Pine Brook, Montville and Mountain Lakes. Morris County Sheriff James Gannon, a Boonton resident, also came to the scene.

Former Acting Governor

Codey retired last year from the seat he held in the New Jersey Senate for 42 years. He also served in the State Assembly from 1974 to 1982.

Codey served three brief terms as acting governor while presiding over the state Senate from 2002 to 2010. The first was in 2002, when Governor Christine Todd Whitman left office to lead the U.S. environmental protection. The second came when Governor Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004. Then, in 2007, Codey replaced Gon. Jon Corzine after being injured in serious motorcade accident

Codey purchased Mackey Funeral Home a decade ago, adding to a three-generation family business that includes another home in Caldwell. The Boonton location has operated as a funeral home since 1928.

Lina Portman

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