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Mayor: Person dies from injuries sustained in Edison senior center fire

Sources tell News 12 New Jersey that the victim is a 101-year-old man.

Tom Krosnowski and Matt Trapani

Dec 4, 2024, 10:36 PM

Updated 46 min ago

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A person injured in a fire at the Inman Grove Senior Center in Edison has died, according to Edison Mayor Sam Joshi.
Sources tell News 12 New Jersey that the victim is a 101-year-old man. They say the man and his 99-year-old wife were injured when a fire broke out in their unit around 6 p.m. Tuesday.
Joshi had previously said that someone died in the fire. He corrected himself later that night and said the victim regained a pulse and was in critical condition.
Eight other people were also hospitalized with various injuries but have since been released from the hospital, officials said.
The fire displaced about 240 people. Inman Grove Senior Center contains four wings. All were evacuated Tuesday night. Officials say that residents were able to return to three of these wings, but one remains uninhabitable.
Resident Barbara Piniella says she was out shopping Tuesday evening. She came back to find the senior center in flames. Still inside - and being taken care of by first responders - were her two cats.
“There were a lot of lights out there,” Piniella said. “That was the scary part. Seeing so many officers and fire departments. All these people are like family. They all live in the same building. I see them every day.”
About 50 residents were staying at the Edison Sheraton Hotel. The rush of unexpected customers filled up the vacancies at the Sheraton. But staff members tell News 12 that the business impact is secondary to helping those in need. Those displaced have gotten meals and a warm place to stay.
“Today is a lot better than [Tuesday],” Piniella said. “Today, I feel warmer, I'm fuller than I was - I was hungry - and they've given us so much here.”
Tuesday night, the hotel stopped taking other reservations to ensure every resident in need had a place to stay. The township, hotel and American Red Cross are assisting with meals, personal care items and warm rooms.
“We have to take care of the situation first instead of thinking of business,” said Firoz Buhariwala, of the Sheraton Edison. “We are trying to give to the community first. They were a little bit afraid of things, and we gave them assurance that everything will be fine,” says Firoz Buhariwala, of the Sheraton Edison.
Joshi said that it could take at least three weeks before residents can safely return to the building. Crews dressed in full personal protective equipment were seen cleaning out debris and boarding up units Wednesday afternoon.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known but officials said that it did not appear to be suspicious.