Joseph Collar was pronounced dead at approximately 6:55 p.m. -- about an hour after firefighters responded to his wood-frame Myrtle Avenue home, Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II, and Nutley Police Chief Thomas J. Strumolo said.
Collar's wife was taken to Clara Maas Medical Center and was in serious condition as of Sunday, Strumolo and Stephens said.
A preliminary investigation indicates there was heavy fire damage in the garage, though the cause and origin remain under investigation.
Crews from Nutley, Montclair, Lyndhurst and Bloomfield responded.
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