Victim Plucked From Flanders Apartment Fire Still Hospitalized As Investigation Into Cause Continues

FLANDERS, N.J. - Feb. 6, 2015 - PRLog -- An elderly man pulled from a burning apartment in Flanders, N.J., last night continues to receive treatment at St. Barnabas Hospital as investigators narrow their search for the cause of the smoky fire.

Firefighters from the Flanders Fire Company #1 and Rescue Squad and the Budd Lake Fire Company were dispatched for a smoke condition at the Oakwood Village Apartments about 8:30 p.m. Thursday night. First Assistant Fire Chief Tyler Wargo and Police Officers David Herring and John Bevacqua arrived first on the scene, and found heavy smoke and fire. They learned that the elderly occupant of the apartment was still inside, ran into the smoke-filled home and carried the man to safety.

The patient was taken from the scene by a Flanders Fire Company ambulance to meet Saint Clare’s Hospital paramedics and then to a waiting helicopter where he was flown to St. Barnabas Hospital in Livingston. The police officers were taken by a second Flanders ambulance to Morristown Hospital, where they were treated for smoke inhalation and released.

Federal patient privacy guidelines bar the fire company from releasing the victim’s name because fire company emergency medical personnel provided medical care for him.

Firefighters navigated their way through snowpiles and parked cars to arrive on scene as the victim was rescued. Fire Chief Michael McDermott says the fire was quickly located and extinguished. He added that firefighters found flames in the walls and floor, but were able to get those flames before they spread to other apartments.

“We were able to knock down the fire quickly,” he said. (Hear McDermott describe the fire at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24n-cvOBm0Y.)  The chief added that single-digit temperatures created extra challenges for firefighters.



Mount Olive Fire Marshal Fred Detoro Jr. said investigators were narrowing their search for a cause, but had nothing to announce yet.

Several area fire and EMS departments assisted, including Budd Lake First Aid, and personnel from Chester, Netcong, Hackettstown and Roxbury. Hackettstown Regional Hospital EMS also responded.

The Mount Olive Police Department, Mount Olive Fire Marshal, Morris County Arson Unit and Morris County Sheriff's Department and are investigating the fire. No cause or damage estimate was available.

The Flanders Fire Company and Rescue Squad No. 1 provides fire protection and emergency medical services to residents and businesses in Flanders and, through mutual aid, surrounding towns. It is made up of about 45 members, all of whom receive training in fire suppression, rescue, hazardous materials response, homeland security issues and emergency medical services. The fire company operates two fire engines, one tower truck, one heavy rescue, a brush-and-foam truck, three ambulances, a multiple-casualty unit and a mass decontamination unit.

In addition, the fire company offers public education services including lectures, demonstrations, training and a trailer that safely simulates a smoke-filled home. For information about membership, donations or public education, call (973) 584-7805 or click on www.flandersfire.org.