Fire seriously damages Hackensack houseMonday, December 6, 2010
Last updated: Monday December 6, 2010, 4:39 PM
BY MONSY ALVARADO
The Record
STAFF WRITER
HACKENSACK - A single-family house sustained major fire and smoke damage in an early afternoon blaze on Monday, a fire official said.
EMT Captain Joe Casella, right, of Hackensack University Medical Center administers oxygen to a cat rescued by during a home fire.
ELIZABETH LARA / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
The occupant of 73 Broadway, who was in the basement when the fire started, was taken to a hospital but did not sustain any serious injuries, said Lt. Stephen Lindner of the Hackensack Fire Department.
A grey cat received oxygen from EMS crews at the scene, said Lindner, who didn’t know if the cat had been inside the house at the time.
“The cat was indifferent toward receiving the oxygen,” he said. “I saw the cat running around in the backyard of the house a short time later.”
Lindner said the investigation into the cause of the blaze, which was reported at about 12:15 p.m., is ongoing. It appeared the fire was the result of “careless smoking,” he said.
“It’s not official, and we have investigators at the scene,'” he said.
The two-story house was declared uninhabitable by the city's building department, Lindner said.
E-mail: alvarado@northjersey.com
