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The elderly homeowner was taken to the hospital by EMS workers with what were deemed minor injuries. A firefighter twisted an ankle but refused medical attention.
Police Officer Anthony Alexander spotted smoke and immediately called in the Forest Avenue fire around 1:30 p.m., Lyndhurst Fire Chief Paul Haggerty Jr. told CLIFFVIEW PILOT.
Lyndhurst Police Chief James O’Connor (ALL: CLIFFVIEW PILOT photos)
O’Connor (right) pulled up right behind him.
The chief trained a hose on the first-floor window, keeping flames from licking up the side of the house, then wet down the next-door neighbor’s siding to keep it from catching fire, Haggerty said.
Township firefighters quicked knocked down the blaze, holding it to the first-floor kitchen — which was completely destroyed — and a portion of the dining room.
The remainder of the residence sustained heavy smoke damage and was deemed uninhabitable.
A smoldering cigar left in a jacket pocket apparently was the cause, Haggerty said.
Also responding were the North Arlington FAST team and both Rutherford and East Rutherford fire companies, which provided cover for the township during the blaze.
- ALL: CLIFFVIEW PILOT photos
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