Early morning West Orange fire leads to fatality

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WEST ORANGE, NJ — Neighbors in a quiet West Orange residential neighborhood were awakened by a predawn fire Sunday morning, Feb. 20, according to a press release from West Orange public information officer Joseph Fagan.

The West Orange Fire Department responded at 4:27 a.m. to a house fire on Valley Way. Fire department personnel were met with heavy fire in the basement and first floor. The homeowner self-evacuated and reported that a female occupant was trapped on the second floor. Crews subsequently rescued an unresponsive female from the premises and she was transported to Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center. The patient regained a pulse due to CPR that was initiated en route prior to arrival and spent some time in the hospital’s Burn Unit, before succumbing to her injuries and dying later that day. 

The homeowner who self-evacuated was later transported to CBMC for exhibiting signs of smoke inhalation. A family pet also died in the fire.

The fire was stubborn, but was placed under control at approximately 6:30 a.m. 

There were no reports of firefighter injuries other than an early slip-and-fall on the ice that did not require treatment. The DPW arrived on scene and were able to prevent subsequent concerns about icy conditions with salt. The home has been declared inhabitable and the premises will be secured. Neighbors at the scene were able to provide warm clothing for the homeowner, who remained at the scene during fire suppression efforts before he was transported to the hospital.

The cause of the fire has been deemed not suspicious by authorities; the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office is handling the investigation, according to Fagan.

Photos Courtesy of Yesmi Rebeca Fernández

  Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, West Orange Fire Department