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'I Believe In Angels': NJ Woman Reflects After Neighbors Save Family From Roaring Fire (PHOTOS) 'I Believe In Angels': NJ Woman Reflects After Neighbors Save Family From Roaring Fire (PHOTOS)
'I Believe In Angels': NJ Woman Reflects After Neighbors Save Family From Roaring Fire (Photos) Andrea Garcia believes in angels. And not just one -- two. She says they are her  neighbors, who rescued her family and saved their home from what would have otherwise been a devastating fire. Garcia, 36, was enjoying the fireplace in the living room of her home on North Lyons Road in Jefferson Township when one of her neighbors, Michael Novitski, spotted five-foot flames billowing from the chimney around 9 p.m. Thursday. Without a second thought, Novitski jumped to action — literally. He scaled the tall, wooden fence surrounding the yard before barging in the home’s back door in a va…

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by Valerie Musson
Police & Fire
Firefighters Douse Westwood Blaze Firefighters Douse Westwood Blaze
Firefighters Douse Westwood Blaze Firefighters doused a quick-moving blaze that severely damaged a Westwood home Thursday morning. The fire broke out on the second floor of the Hillside Avenue home around 5:15 a.m. and blew through the attic. A candle left burning overnight may have been to blame, responders said. Firefighters had the bulk of the blaze knocked down within 20 minutes. A quick response prevented even more extensive damage. No injuries were reported. 65 Hillside Ave., WestwoodRobert Saul Among those assisting Westwood firefighters were their colleagues from Hillsdale and Woodcliff Lake, with an ambulan…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Smoke Alarms Save Lives: Dumont Firefighters Douse Basement Blaze Smoke Alarms Save Lives: Dumont Firefighters Douse Basement Blaze
Smoke Alarms Save Lives: Dumont Firefighters Douse Basement Blaze Dumont firefighters made quick work of an overnight basement fire Thursday that sent smoke through a home. Smoke alarms roused residents, who all fled the 2½ -story Virginia Avenue home safely, authorities said. Firefighters responding to the blaze shortly before 2 a.m. got in through a side door and had the bulk of it knocked down in roughly 15 minutes. The fire was declared under control less than a half-hour later. No injuries were reported. Responders included Dumont's police and Volunteer Ambulance Corps, as well as the Bergenfield, Tenafly, and Cresskill fire departments. "This fi…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Pre-Dawn Thanksgiving Blaze Damages Hillsdale Home Pre-Dawn Thanksgiving Blaze Damages Hillsdale Home
Pre-Dawn Thanksgiving Blaze Damages Hillsdale Home Firefighters doused a pre-dawn Thanksgiving Day blaze in a Hillsdale home. The fire broke out just after 2 a.m. in the second-floor bedroom of the Lincoln Avenue home and quickly went to two alarms, borough fire officials said. All of the occupants got out OK, they said. The fire was contained to the bedroom and declared under control around 3 a.m., less than an hour after the call came in, fire officials said. Mutual aid was provided by firefighters from Park Ridge, River Vale, Westwood and Woodcliff Lake.

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
One Dog Dies, Other Survives Englewood House Fire One Dog Dies, Other Survives Englewood House Fire
One Dog Dies, Other Survives Englewood House Fire UPDATE: One dog died while another survived a weekend fire that severely damaged an Englewood home, authorities said. Authorities were trying to determine the cause of Saturday’s morning’s three-alarm West Demarest Avenue blaze, which did most of its damage to the kitchen and first floor of the 2½ -story home, City Fire Chief Erik S. Enersen said. The 61-year-old homeowner got out safely with one of his dogs, Enersen said. Responders tried in vain to revive the other dog, who was found under an upstairs bed, the chief said. Firefighters brought the blaze under control in under two hours,…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Englewood Girl, 8, Hospitalized As Precaution After Ceiling Plaster Falls In Home Englewood Girl, 8, Hospitalized As Precaution After Ceiling Plaster Falls In Home
Englewood Girl, 8, Hospitalized As Precaution After Ceiling Plaster Falls In Home A chunk of plaster that fell from a living-room ceiling Friday afternoon sent an 8-year-old Englewood girl to the hospital as a precaution, authorities said. The Waldo Place girl sustained a leg injury with no fractures after the falling 2-by-2-foot piece hit her just before 2:30 p.m., Deputy Police Chief Gregory Halstead said. She was taken for treatment and evaluation at nearby Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, he said. Englewood firefighters responded along with police.  A Building Department representative "determined that the structure of the house was not compromised and t…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
One Dead In Millburn House Fire, Hoarding Conditions Reported One Dead In Millburn House Fire, Hoarding Conditions Reported
One Dead In Millburn House Fire, Hoarding Conditions Reported A fire that broke out at a Millburn home Wednesday afternoon claimed the life of one person, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office confirmed.  The fire broke out on Norwood Terrace around 5 p.m. A person inside was pulled from the home and was later pronounced dead at an area hospital.  Pictures on social media show large piles of clothing and other household items obstructing an entrance to the home. News 12 New Jersey quoted firefighters who said a hoarding situation made fighting the fire more difficult.  The Millburn Fire Department referred questions to the Essex County …

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by Paul Milo
Business
Be Sure Your Fireplace, Chimney Furnace Are Safe, North Jersey Expert Warns Be Sure Your Fireplace, Chimney Furnace Are Safe, North Jersey Expert Warns
Be Sure Your Fireplace, Chimney Furnace Are Safe, North Jersey Expert Warns If you still haven’t gotten your fireplace or chimney furnace checked this season, be sure you do sooner rather than later, local professional Douglas Lee urged. Lee, of American Chimney Service, reminds homeowners to have their chimneys inspected and cleaned roughly once a year – or about every 80 burns – to avoid the build-up of creosote, a byproduct of burning wood that could cause a house fire. Even more importantly, he urges them to have their chimney furnaces checked annually. “Some homes don’t have a fireplace,” said Lee, a single dad from Fair Lawn. “But every home has a chimney t…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Hackensack Homeowner Puts Out Garage Fire Hackensack Homeowner Puts Out Garage Fire
Hackensack Homeowner Puts Out Garage Fire A Hackenasck homeowner put out a minor garage fire as firefighters pulled up to the scene just before 5 p.m. Saturday, fire officials said. The Byrne Street resident used a bucket of water to extinguish a small piece of burning molding, before the fire department finished off the blaze with a water can, Hackensack Fire Captain Justin Derevyanik said. Firefighters turned the scene back over to the homeowner, he said. No injuries were reported and the cause was not suspicious, Derevyanik said.

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by Cecilia Levine