Baptism Under Fire - Far from unusual was the cause of the alarm yesterday that sent fire trucks scurrying out of the new Clinton Street station for the first time in Middletown history. A few children fooling with matches started the flames that brought the trucks 3 1/2 miles from their new base of operations. Firemen yesterday morning had moved their equipment from the old building on Broad Street to the new Station No. 1. A telephone call reporting the fire came to the office at 6:22 pm. In all, 16 minutes were spent by the fire fighters on the historic first run. The flames were trying to eat into the metal-roofed barn occupied by Leonard Zarner in the rear of 805 18th Ave. Firemen, using 100 feet of booster line, doused the fire before it caused any damage to the barn...

Three somewhat-dazed Madison Township families are adjusting themselves to new living quarters this week. All three lost their homes in Christmas weekend fires that raged in the unprotected township. One has decided to live permanently with relatives, another is searching for a new apartment and the third is planning to rebuild. Meanwhile, contributions of money and clothing from sympathetic well-wishers have been trickling to the families. The exact value of the gifts has not yet been totaled, since accounting of their losses occupied the families' major time during a hectic weekend. Mr. and Mrs. James Oakley, who lost their uninsured $5,000 three-room home on Thursday afternoon, are now living with Mrs. Oakley’s father, Hershel McGraw on Brown’s Run road, next door to the rubble of the old home...