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PLUMBERS WORK LEADS TO FIRE IN
HASBROUCK HOUSE
NO INJURIES; HOUSE WAS
VACANT
March 17, 2004
By Kevin Glynn
Community Life
EMERSON – On Tuesday,
March 9, at 12:57 a.m., Officer Carol Falotico noticed heavy smoke coming
from a house on 50 Hasbrouck Avenue and radioed the fire department for
help. According to Michael Burdes, former fire commissioner and councilman
and currently a volunteer fireman, the Emerson ambulance and fire
department both arrived by 1:07 a.m.
Fire Chief Robert Pavese
said that he requested assistance from Oradell’s fire department
immediately upon receiving the call, and requested assistance from
Westwood at approximately 1 a.m., when he arrived at the scene and
realized they would need a tower ladder truck. He also asked Old Tappan to
go to the firehouse and serve as backup while Emerson was on the scene.
At 1:15 a.m., the
Westwood Ladder truck arrived, positioned itself alongside the house on
Linwood Avenue, and began to extinguish the fire from the truck’s
platform.
“I saw three men axing
and cutting while large plumes of smoke and fire was around them. They all
had fresh air delivered to them from the large air tanks on the side of
the aerial device so they were able to stay there for almost half an hour.
That’s how long it took them to just put out the rear right corner of the
house,” Burdes said.
The Chief explained that
“The location and structure of the house made it difficult to vent the
roof. Westwood’s tower enabled us to do it.”
“By the time Westwood
arrived.” Burdes said, “the flames were shooting out the windows. When I
first got there the flames were not shooting out the windows, but close.”
The particulars of this
fire and the role that Westwood’s fire department played, highlights the
significance of recent discussions that lead Emerson’s council to order a
new truck. Burdes referred to the borough’s 25-year old ladder truck which
failed inspection last year because the ladder is too narrow. “That’s what
happened the night of the fire.”
Pavese confirmed what
Burdes alluded to. He said that not having their own tower ladder truck
cost the fire department at least 10 to 12 minutes. Pavese said that the
new truck is scheduled to arrive in late September or October.
Even without their tower
ladder truck, Pavese reported that they had the fire under control by 1:30
a.m. “It was a great attack by my men.”
Mayor Steven Setteducati
stated, “We’re very fortunate that no once was in the house and that no
one was injured.” He expressed his gratitude towards the Oradell and
Westwood fire departments for their assistance, and said, “I’m thankful
for the service’s of our volunteer fire department, the ambulance, and the
police department.”
The police department
said that the house had been vacant and under construction. Police Chief
Michael Saudino reported that a plumber working in the house had been
using a torch to remove a joint on an old pipe. “Some wood around the area
caught fire and he used a wet rag to extinguish it. He thought the fire
was out, but it must have continued to smolder.” The plumber left the
house at approximately 7:45 p.m., 5 hours and 13 minutes before Officer
Falotico called the fire in.
Saudino said that the
fire was deemed accidental.
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