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Township home destroyed by fire
(by Megan Burrow - May 21, 2008)
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Staff Photo by Nick Messina
Volunteer firefighters from
Washington
Township and several neighboring municipalities responded quickly to a May 13 fire on Ridgewood Boulevard North. Although dozens of fire fighters were working to squelch the fire, it took over an hour for them to bring it under control.
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Just before midnight on May 13, the Township of Washington Police Department received a 911 hang up call from a Ridgewood Boulevard North home.
Officers were dispatched, and when they arrived, they found the residents standing in the driveway, and saw flames shooting out of the house. The homeowner had been awakened by a smoke alarm and discovered the blaze. No one was injured, but the flames had spread quickly and had engulfed much of the house.
Volunteer firefighters from
Washington
Township and several neighboring municipalities responded quickly to the call and utilities companies were called to suspend the home’s gas and electric service. Although dozens of fire fighters were working to squelch the fire, it took over an hour for them to bring it under control.
The fire department believes the fire originated in an office in the home and a faulty electrical appliance was the most likely culprit.
Lt. Jack Oppelt, a township police officer and volunteer fire fighter who had responded to the scene, commented that the fire had burned a hole through the roof, causing the flames to spread quickly. Oppelt said the cathedral ceiling running throughout the house allowed the flames to travel quickly and was another possible reason for the fire’s extensive damage.
One of the fire fighters was hit in the head by a falling piece of the ceiling and was taken to
Valley
Hospital with minor injuries. The home was left with significant fire and smoke damage.
Megan Burrow's e-mail address is burrow@northjersey.com
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