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POMPTON LAKES - Family displaced by house fire
(by Donna Rolando - Managing Editor - October 29, 2008)
POMPTON LAKES - Fire and police officials report that a young child playing with matches appears to have accidentally sparked the blaze on Montclair Avenue that displaced the child’s family on Wednesday. The investigation is over and the fire, which broke out just before 8 a.m. Wednesday, has been ruled accidental.
“The mom was in the shower and the child apparently was playing with matches and caught the couch on fire,” Police Chief David Struyk reported.
According to the police report, the mom smelled smoke after leaving the shower and went into the living room where she could see flames on the couch and draperies. She started calling for her husband and son, who could not be found immediately. Police learned that the son may have been hiding but was located and then the entire family, possibly five members, made it to safety without injury and were outside when firefighters arrived.
Despite the husband’s attempt to douse the flames with a bucket of water, the fire continued but volunteers had two things on their side: their own quick and aggressive response and a new device that knocks down fire temperatures.
Of the new Fire Interruption Technology, called FIT-5, that just arrived Monday, the fire chief said, “The FIT-5 definitely helped us but if it wasn’t for the aggressiveness of the firefighters…These guys got there quick and jumped right up to that top floor.”
Chief Dean Cioppa wanted to stress that it was a two-fold attack on the fire.
“It (the FIT-5) absolutely slowed it down and gave more time for the firefighters to get a handle on the fire. But our guys were very, very, very aggressive. I pulled up and that whole top floor was fully involved and in 10 minutes, it was down except for some hot spots, which is normal.”
In further commendation for the 10 Pompton Lakes fire volunteers and Riverdale and Wanaque firefighters that worked the scene, while Wayne Company No. 3 stood by at the firehouse, Cioppa said, “These guys were unbelievable. It was like a perfect page. They knew exactly what to do.”
He said their attack kept the fire from consuming other rooms yet flames still did “extensive” damage to the second floor of the Kaba home at 422 Montclair Ave., along with damage to the siding of an adjacent residence at 424 Montclair Ave, according to police and fire reports. The first floor suffered only water ruin.
Until repairs can be made, the family is displaced and staying with relatives in the community, Cioppa said.
The Fire Interruption Technology that helped suppress the fire was the result of donations provided by the Pompton Lakes Chamber of Commerce, the local Rotary Club, and an anonymous contributor, he said. The three FIT-5 devices obtained by the Pompton Lakes Fire Department cost a total of $3,600. Since each device can only be used once, Cioppa is hoping that insurance will provide reimbursement, bringing the department back up to three devices.
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