On Sunday, March 14th, at approximately 4PM, the Monroe Fire Dept. was dispatched to a reported structure fire on Mountain Rd. in the Village of Kiryas Joel. Upon arrival, Chief Jeffrey J. Mahran established Command and advised units of a working fire in the old Jehovah Witness Hall. The building involved in fire was used at one time as a meeting hall, but was sold and has since been abandoned. The building has also been the site of suspicious fires in the past. Most notably, in May of 2003 a fire in the building destroyed the stage area and also heavily damaged the rear sections of the building. Monroe FD actually responded to a small rubbish fire in the hall just several days prior on Thursday March 11th. The building, measuring approximately 400' long by 200' wide, contains 2 Auditoriums, several small rooms, and a Cafeteria. First arriving units found moderate smoke throughout the building and found the main body of fire in the second floor front section of the building. Truck 538's interior crew were able to located the fire quickly and utilized a 2 1/2" line to extinguish approximately 3 rooms involved in fire. Due to the large size of the building and lack of hydrants in the area, Chief Mahran requested extensive Mutual Aid for Tankers and additional Mutual Aid to the scene. Chief Mahran requested Mutual Aid from Harriman (1 Tanker), Woodbury (1 Engine and 1 Truck), Lakeside (1 Tanker), South Blooming Grove (1 Truck), Tuxedo (1 Engine standby Monroe), and Washingtonville (FAST Team) Fire Departments. Monroe FD was also assisted by Monroe EMS, Orange County Fire Investigation Unit, and State Police. At approximately 6PM, the fire was deemed extinguished and Monroe Units returned to quarters.

Upon returning to quarters, the Monroe Fire Dept. received a report that the building was on fire again. Monroe FD units responded to the scene again and found a separate room on fire which was not involved in the initial fire. Monroe Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire through an aggressive interior attack. Orange County's Fire Investigation Unit was once again summoned for further investigation. New York State Police stationed a unit in front of the building for the remainder of the night. Woodbury FD provided a FAST team for the second fire. Monroe Units were back in service by 8:30PM and both fires continue to be under investigation.