29°
Officer Matt Benus was the first responder at the two-alarm Hutter Street blaze.
The 60-something woman got out safely, while her cat remained inside.
Benus rushed in, found the feline in the living room and completed the rescue.
The 7 a.m. fire -- the third residential blaze in the township in a week – broke out in the basement and quickly roared out the back of the 864-square-foot, wood-frame home, responders said.
Firefighters had to open the roof to vent the fire while all inside were removed and an exterior attack was made.
Authorities were trying to determine the cause, Police Chief Robert Kugler said.
The blaze closed nearby Floral Lane, requiring different arrangements for parents dropping off their chldren at nearby Long Elementary School.
"This was our third house fire in a week," Kugler said (see below). "Fortunately, we have dedicated volunteer firefighters ensuring our community's public safety. It's comforting to know they're always there when most needed."
Township firefighters also doused a 4th-floor mechanical room fire in a Pehle Avenue office building around 2 a.m.
Among those assisting Saddle Brook firefighters at the Hutter Street blaze were colleagues from Elmwood Park, Fair Lawn, Garfield, Hackensack, Maywood, Paramus and Rochelle Park.
The Saddle Brook Ambulance Corps provided EMS and fire rehab.
NOTE: The ramp in the photo isn't for the resident but, rather, was from a prior need for someone else, authorities said.
PHOTOS ABOVE: Damien Danis for DAILY VOICE
******
ALSO SEE: Neighbors reported hearing explosions in a smoky Tuesday afternoon fire in a Saddle Brook home.
******
ALSO SEE: Firefighters extinguished a Saddle Brook basement fire before it could spread early Saturday afternoon.
COURTESY: Saddle Brook Police Chief Robert Kugler
Click here to follow Daily Voice Paterson and receive free news updates.
