PERTH AMBOY -The Packer Hotel fire started on the cold winter night of March 17, 1969. A mattress caught fire at the hotel, most likely due to residents’ smoking in bed. The residents attempted to put out the fire themselves; they dragged the mattress through the hallways, not realizing it was still smoldering. Hot ambers became embedded in the carpeting that lined the halls and the carpeting then caught on fire which spread and destroyed the building. Many residents lost their lives in the fire. In the 1970’s the United Auto Workers built senior housing on the site (315 High St.)

*Photo Courtesy of Ken Puccio

This Photo was restored under a grant for the Kearny Cottage Archiving project by the Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission