Crime & Safety

Residents Escape Green Avenue Home Kitchen Fire

Police help rescue two people inside; home uninhabitable for now.

A fire fully engulfed the kitchen of a Green Avenue home Thursday afternoon, burning the cabinets and ceiling, and filling the home with smoke, Madison's fire chief said.

A man and woman inside got out safely with the help of Madison police officers, who at one point kicked in a door to get one of the residents out. The fire was contained to the kitchen, police and fire officials said.

The ranch home is uninhabitable until the residence is cleaned up, Madison Fire Department Chief Lou DeRosa said.

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DeRosa said the fire was caused by an accident involving a candle oil lamp, and a resident of the home called 911 at about 4:20 p.m.

The fire would have spread to adjacent rooms in a few more minutes, DeRosa said.

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"A quick response with a good aggressive attack, we kept it to a one-room fire," DeRosa said.

Madison police and the Madison Volunteer Ambulance Corps also responded to the scene.

Detective Kenneth Shannon, Patrolman Anthony Maccario and Patrolman Kevin Boone were the first to arrive at the scene and confirmed there was a fire, Detective Lt. Dennis Lam said in a news release.

Boone and Maccario entered the house and assisted a woman to safety, and officers determined another individual still was inside the kitchen area. Shannon and Boone "went around the side of the house and gained entry by kicking in the door leading to the kitchen," Lam said. "The victim was quickly escorted out of the house and into safety. Both victims were treated by the Madison Ambulance Corps and released at the scene."

Cedar Knolls, Morris Township, Florham Park and Chatham fire departments responded to help, DeRosa said. Someone who knows the couple was helping them arrange lodging, he said.

Police said the Madison Police Department Detective Bureau along with the Morris County Sherriff’s Office CIS Unit processed the scene.


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