By Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta
Sunday morning, December 31, 2017, was not unlike any other for Patrick Angelo, general manager of The Committed Pig restaurant, who resides in Summit. He was awoken at 5 a.m. by his dog, Winnie.
“She was doing her normal morning routine,” he said, “which is scratching on the dish washer, so I could wake up to feed her. I fed her as normal, then went back to bed.
After Winnie eats, she usually goes back to sleep too. However, on this morning, she began to bark very loud, which was unusual for the well-behaved dog.
Concerned, Patrick immediately got up to see what was wrong, especially since he’s the father of 5-month-old twins. He was nervous that they’d be wakened by the excessive barking. Patrick ran out of the bedroom and found Winnie standing on a dining room chair with her front paws on the radiator cover, looking out the window as she continued to bark.
Patrick ran to the window and noticed a fire in the rear of the apartment building at 125 Summit Avenue. He immediately woke his wife, Laura, and told her, “There’s a big fire next door!”
Patrick then dialed 911. They had already received a call and the fire department was on its way.
It was then that Patrick and Laura decided to put their babies in their car seats and leave their condo because they weren’t sure if the fire would spread to their building. As they were strapping their twins in, they could hear voices from 125 Summit Avenue yelling for help.
Patrick and Laura then decided to go over to The Committed Pig, which is located at 339 Springfield Avenue, just a block away from their home, where they’d be safe and be able to wait it out. The restaurant was closed, but staff were in the restaurant preparing food for when they opened.
The fire grew quickly and soon more fire trucks, police cars, and EMT vehicles were on the scene. Evacuees raced down the streets in their pajamas, some with pets in tow. It was only around five degrees that day.
Patrick told a police officer that people were welcomed to come inside the Committed Pig for shelter. Word got out and Patrick, along with his staff made coffee and prepared trays of bacon and eggs for evacuees and their dogs.
Rocco Flores from Pizza Vita, and Philip Angelo from La Pastaria, also came to the Committed Pig bringing food, as EMTs came into the restaurant to see if anyone needed medical attention. Soon Anthony Lauro, senior vice president of the management company of the building affected by the fire showed up. He started to account for those who were at the restaurant, affected by the fire.
“Everyone wound up staying here [Committed Pig] because it was just easier for everyone to be in one location so police could gather information.”
Mayor Nora Radist secured rooms at the Grand Summit Hotel for people who lost their units in the fire and worked closely with the Red Cross to make sure everyone had a place to go.
By 2 p.m. the restaurant finally cleared out and everyone was either back at home, or at a hotel with friends and family. But most importantly, everyone in all 15 families was accounted for. Two who tried to escape by jumping out of a window were taken to Overlook Hospital in Summit.
“It was a truly extraordinary situation to witness,” said Patrick. “I had never personally seen a fire like that. Everyone involved did a great job handing such a chaotic and tragic situation.”
At the time this article was written, the cause of fire was still under investigation by the police.
Photos by Patrick Angelo
(above) 125 Summit Ave burning at 6:08 am.
(above) Firefighters working on the fire.
(above) Winnie in the window “warning” her family of fire.
(above) People affected by the fire finding shelter at Committed Pig.
(above) Picture of the rear of 125 Summit Ave. later on that day.
