Historic Boat House Destroyed by Fire
 |
  |
Photos provided by Martin Kane, president and curator of the Lake Hopatcong Historical Museum.
The Dressner boathouse on 19 Elba Ave. in Hopatcong Borough was destroyed by a fire that broke out on Tuesday July 17 at about 10:30 PM. The fire was reported by boaters to the Hopatcong Police Department, the Dressners were not at home when the fire broke out. Three firefighters, Shawn Pond, Jesse Ioffredo and Henry Sardina were taken to the hospital for heat exhaustion and dehydration, were released later following day.
The blaze was fought well past midnight by the Hopatcong Fire Department with help from firefighters of Jefferson, Byram, Netcong, Roxbury and Stanhope. The Jefferson Township fireboat played large role in stopping the blaze as only one fire truck at a time could approach the boathouse from the road. The fire had spread into the trees was stopped just as the flames began to reach the deck of a nearby home.
The boathouse, located on the western shore of Lake Hopatcong was built in 1906 and was recently renovated. The fire did not damage the main house, but the boathouse was totally destroyed. The cause of the fire is not as yet known and is still under investigation.
The Dressner boathouse, ca 1910.
ca. 1925
