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PHOTO: Courtesy Eric A. Cinotti
The fire at the home of Brian Wiltshire, Leslie Jacobs Piccolo and their two teenaged daughters broke out just before 3 p.m. Monday afternoon and quickly raced through the structure on Jackson Avenue in Woodland Park. Floors collapsed, forcing firefighters to work from outside.
An EMT with AlphaCare Ambulance in Paterson said he was returning from a call when he spotted the fire, helped stretch hoses and administered to a fellow firefighter for heat exhaustion and possible smoke inhalation. Another firefighter was later treated for heat exhaustion, as well, and two nearby homes were evacuated, according to emergency workers at the scene.
Woodland Park crews got help from Totowa, Little Falls and Paterson, which provided an air truck, while engines from Passaic and Clifton remained on standby at Fire Company 2.
Piccolo and Wiltshire have been together 14 years.
They each have a daughter: Jamie and Julia are 17 and 19.
Leslie Jacobs Piccolo, Brian Wiltshire and their daughters, Jamie & Julia
Beth Antoci, a friend, quickly mounted a clothing drive Monday afternoon — and was overwhelmed.
“I never knew people would be so generous,” Antoci told CLIFFVIEW PILOT this morning.
“Some want to donate furniture and other items,” she said, “but right now we don’t have anywhere to put it all.”
Having collected a massive amount of shoes, socks, shirts and more — in a pile six feet high, 10 feet long and five feet wide — Antoci is focusing on distributing the donations to others in need while directing a GoFundMe page for the family.
Every bit helps.
CLICK HERE: Piccolo Family Fund
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