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Bodies Of Elderly Teaneck Couple Found In Wreckage Of Furious House Fire

TEANECK, N.J. -- Authorities Sunday afternoon found the bodies of an elderly Teaneck couple killed when a fire roared through their home hours earlier, multiple law enforcement sources told Daily Voice.

Moments after the remains were discovered.

Moments after the remains were discovered.

Photo Credit: Cecilia Levine

Gerald and Rosanne Ryan, both 81, were trapped by flames that blew through the 2½-story house on Sherman Avenue just after 6:35 a.m.

Excavators had to shore up what was left of the home before being able to comb through the wreckage for their remains.

The family of five next door escaped uninjured but flames blew over into their house, destroying nearly all of their belongings. The Teaneck PBA has launched a clothing drive.

Two police officers who tried to rescue the couple before evacuating neighbors were treated for smoke inhalation, Deputy Township Manager Dean Kazinci told Daily Voice.

The neighboring house on the west side sustained severe enough damage to render it temporarily uninhabitable, Kazinci said. The Red Cross was arranging shelter and provisions for the family living there, he said.

The neighboring house to the east also sustained damage but not as serious, Kazinci said.

The Bergen County Prosecutor's Arson Investigations Unit unit responded and determined that the cause of the fire wasn't suspicious.

The Bergen County Sheriff's Bureau of Criminal Identification collected evidence.

A Hackensack ladder team and Englewood FAST team responded, with mutual aid provided by Bergenfield, Bogota and Ridgefield Park.

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