Man and woman killed in townhouse fire in West Orange
WEST ORANGE, New Jersey (WABC) -- Two people were killed in a townhouse fire in West Orange, New Jersey early Tuesday morning.
The fire broke out around 12:30 a.m. Northfield Townhouses.
A man and woman were rushed to the burn unit at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston where they were pronounced dead.
The home belonged to a couple in their 80s. Witnesses say the woman could be seen inside.
"There was a report from a neighbor that the woman was as the window and went back into the house unfortunately," said West Orange Fire Dept. Chief Anthony Vecchio.
The basement was engulfed in flames and it took firefighters some 45 minutes to get the fire under control.
Basement fires are notoriously dangerous and this one was perhaps even more so because the couple had been packing up and planning to move in August, so there were boxes of belongings inside.
A neighbor suffered smoke inhalation, but was treated at the scene by EMS.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The Red Cross responded to the three-story building to help provide services to displaced residents.
The Essex County Prosecutor's Office has not released the identities of the victims.
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