A 5th Alarm + Fire on Christmas eve Destroyed a unoccupied classic 16-room colonial mansion, on the former Blairsden Estate on Highland Ave. in Peapack, in Somerset County.The Home Has a long history it was built in the mid -18th century when it was built as a farm house for the Sprawling Melick Family .The property was later aqquired by the Wall Street tycoon Mr Clinton Blair who added on to the orignal home and would build the immense estate that would come to be the known as "Blairsden" The Fire was reported around 9:00pm The Peapack-Gladstone Fire Department immediately Requested Mutual Aid From Somerset and Morris Counties . As well as a Tanker Task force from each county . Within minutes of the first call additional tankers were being dispatched to the scene from Somerset County . The 1st due Mutual aid units were setting up a Drafting site from a pond over a mile away. While other units at the scene were streching LDH from the dump site to supply the tower ladder by way of inline pumping . The snow conditions on the ground and the cold weather hampered firefighters efforts to save the large u shaped mansion . Another call was placed to Somerset county Dispatch center for added tankers from the county as well as a Tanker task force from Hunterdon county to the scene. It took firefighters over 4 1/2 hours to bring the blaze under control . More than 20 Fire departments from three counties responded with equipment to this fire. Over 100 Firefighters responded to the scene. This mansion fire will be rembered for years in Somerset County as the Chirstmas Eve Fire. The cause of the fire is being investigated by the Police Department and the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office .