Fallen Heroes
July 22, 1977, Bass River (Burlington Co.):
Four members of the Eagleswood Fire Co. of Eagleswood Township (Ocean Co.) died while helping to battle a raging fire in the Bass River State Forest. The fire, which ultimately consumed more than 2,000 acres of the Pine Barrens, was said to be the work of an arsonist. Eagleswood Chief Harold Cranmer Jr., 32, Assistant Chief Marcus Cullen, 28, and Firefighters Herb Blackwell, 23, and John Baker, 52, made the ultimate sacrifice, when they became trapped in the woods and were overrun by flames.
This Site Is Dedicated in Their Honor
