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The Greenwoods Road blaze near the Rockland County border "was thought to have started from a charging Tesla, because the homeowner just arrived home and plugged the car in," Police Chief Joseph Tracy said.
Responding officers learned that "they had used a charcoal grill the night before to cook dinner," the chief said.
The homeowner "removed the coals from the grill and placed them into a plastic bag, then put the bag in a garbage pail in the attached garage" shortly before 2:30 p.m. Monday, he said.
Responders rushed to the 2½-story wood-frame home, barely 500 feet from the Orangeburg border, soon after.
Firefighters knocked down the main body of the three-alarm blaze within a half-hour but had to contend with deep-seated hot pockets.
The Tesla was destroyed and the house severely damaged.
Mutual aid responders included firefighters from Harrington Park, Hillsdale, Northvale, Norwood, River Vale, Orangeburg, Sparkill and Tappan.
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MORE PHOTOS: Old Tappan House Fire 12/20/21 (Debby Schreiber Cooke)
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