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Firefighters responded to 172 Clinton Ave. shortly before 8 p.m., where the fire was ripping through the vacant home. The fire went to three alarms before it was brought under control around midnight. About 80 firefighters responded, Ambrose said,. including units from Elizabeth and Bloomfield.
One firefighter suffered an eye injury and a second sustained a knee injury.
Part of the structure collapsed, briefly entrapping a group of firefighters. The cause was under investigation Thursday night.
The building, known as The Kastner Mansion, was built in 1892, during the heyday of Newark's so-called "beer barons," according to Preservation New Jersey.
The distinctive, 32-room Chateauesque home changed hands multiple times, at one point serving as a casket factory and later an Elks lodge. It had been vacant for the last several years.
"The Kastner Mansion tells an all-too-familiar story of once-prosperous urban areas with a wealth of unique historic resources, and the challenge of prioritizing heritage preservation in environments with so many competing significant needs," Preservation New Jersey said on its web site.
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