WESTWOOD, N.J.—The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Arson Investigations Unit has yet to conclude its investigation into the conflagration that injured six firefighters and destroyed an empty house on Oakland Avenue on Wednesday, Feb. 26.
Westwood Fire Chief Kevin Woods credits teamwork and professionalism in crews’ handling of the early morning blaze, which feasted on a property under renovation.
Mutual aid included firefighters from Bergenfield, Emerson, Franklin Lakes, Hillsdale, Ho-Ho-Kus, Paramus, River Vale, the Township of Washington, and Woodcliff Lake, and ambulances from multiple services.
Six Hillsdale firefighters from Engine 34 were sent to the hospital, all with minor injuries, after they attempted a push into the structure that was answered by the porch roof collapsing on them.
Among the firefighters trapped for 90 long seconds—the timing confirmed by video—was Hillsdale Fire Chief Tom Kelley’s son, Chris, who volunteers for Hillsdale and Westwood.
Chief Kelley told Pascack Press he saw the wreckage rain down on the men from where he stood at the first step.
He said the six, who found themselves in a briefly stable void space, kept their cool and freed themselves.
“It was terrifying, but when you find out that everyone is OK, you take a deep breath and get back to work,” he said.
Of their injuries, Kelley said, “They got beat up. They had a couple thousand pounds of lumber and roofing material fall on top of them. I don’t recommend the experience,” he said.
He credited the men’s self-extrication to “their gear, training, and a little bit of luck.”
Kelley said he’s seen plenty of serious fires in his career, but “That’s the first time I’ve seen an event like that, when a bunch of guys were in trouble.”
The men were whisked to Hackensack University Medical Center by the Closter Volunteer Ambulance and Rescue Corps, and were released within four hours.
“All went home, thank God,” the Closter responders posted.
On the HFD Facebook page, upward of 500 messages of support for the injured firefighters poured in within 24 hours.
Westwood’s Chief Woods said he was the first to the scene at the fully involved house fire, which raged skyward just after 5:30 a.m. He said firefighters were dispatched at about 5:47 and that by 6:30 only smoking rubble remained.
Mill Street was temporarily closed between 7th and Lafayette avenues.
Woods told Pascack Press he has been in touch with the property owners, who are “naturally upset with their loss but very happy that everyone’s OK.”
Asked about the training that firefighters put in to prepare for such fires, he said, “The number one thing was teamwork—when we had the collapse everybody worked together as a team to get each other into a safe place. It could have been so much worse.”
Asked when the WWFD last had to tackle such a swift, consuming structure fire, Woods reached back in memory.
“I want to say it was 1997 or 1998; we had a house collapse on dead-end Ash Street,” he said.
The Bergen County Sheriff’s Office was aiding the investigation.