Two civilians were rescued from a Belleville fire last Wednesday, May 1.
Belleville Fire Capt. Scott Wentworth said the Fire Department received a 911 emergency call at 11:37 p.m. about people trapped in a singlefamily wood frame house at 16 Hickory St., off Chestnut St., near the Nutley border.
Wentworth said the fire originated on the first floor and extended up the attic.
He said a 43-year-old grandmother and 2-year-old female toddler had climbed out a second-floor bedroom window onto the rear roof of the building and Belleville Police officers used a neighbor’s ladder to climb up and safely escort the pair down to safety.
Additionally, Wentworth said, three dogs were safely removed from the building and were administered oxygen outside.
Wentworth said the civilians were taken, initially, to Clara Maass Medical Center, Belleville, where they were stabilized and then transferred to St. Barnabas Hospital in Livingston for more entensive treatment.
As of Monday, both were listed in good condition, fire officials said.
No injuries to firefighters were reported.
Wentworth said the fire was brought under control by midnight and wrapped up at 1:30 a.m. Cause of the fire remains under investigation, he said.
The building, which suffered interior damage, was tagged as an unsafe structure, Wentworth said.
Battalion Chief Richard Cavanagh served as tour commander at the fire scene. Ten Belleville firefighters aboard two engines and a ladder truck were assisted by 15 mutual aid firefighters. Nutley supplied an engine and ladder truck; Bloomfield, a pumper; and Kearny, a ladder truck.
— Ron Leir
