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N.J. 911 call for argument in the street turns out to be a structure fire with people trapped

Police officers and firefighters in Lyndhurst rescued four people in a house fire

By Anthony G. Attrino
nj.com

LYNDHURST, N.J. — Four residents from two families were rescued from a burning home in Lyndhurst early Thursday, with one person critically injured, authorities said.

The Lyndhurst Fire Department responded to a residential structure fire in the 100 block of Jay Avenue around 5:30 a.m., according to Chief Paul F. Haggerty.

Upon arrival, firefighters encountered heavy smoke from the second floor and a basement fire with flames visible from one side of the house.

Lyndhurst police officers were the first to arrive and used a ladder to rescue a resident from a lower roof on one side of the home.

A second resident was found stranded on a second-floor roof and was brought to safety by the crew of Engine 1 using an aerial device, Haggerty said in a statement.

A third occupant escaped by jumping from a second-story window at the rear of the house, officials said. However, a fourth occupant was unaccounted for.

Former fire chiefs Steven Passamano and Nicholas Haggerty located the missing occupant near his bedroom. The person, who was unresponsive, was removed from the home, and CPR was administered at the scene.

The victim was revived and transported to a local hospital, where he remains in critical but stable condition, according to Haggerty.

ABC-7 reported that an emergency call initially came in as an argument on the street, but when police and firefighters arrived, they discovered the house on fire.

The fire, which rendered the home uninhabitable, is under investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Arson Squad and the Lyndhurst Fire Prevention Office. No firefighter injuries were reported.

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