By Karen Zautyk
Observer Correspondent
KEARNY–
A kitchen fire last Thursday temporarily displaced five persons and sent one of them to the hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation, officials reported.
KFD Chief Steve Dyl said units responded to a 7:02 p.m. call Sept. 18 at a two-family residence on John Hay Ave., below Schuyler Ave.
The blaze was confined to the second-floor kitchen and was extinguished within 20 minutes, but all five occupants of the dwelling were relocated for the night, Dyl said, and would likely remain displaced until the structure was inspected by the buildings department.
Initially, there was a report that someone was trapped inside the home, but that turned out not to be the case.
Dyl said the blaze was accidental and was ignited by cooking oil.
“Luckily, the occupant who was doing the cooking knew not to put water on it [the burning oil], and she got out immediately,” the chief said.
But he said a downstairs resident initially attempted to douse the flames with a fire extinguisher, and she suffered smoke inhalation and was taken to Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville.
Dyl said the occupants all left the home, “which was important, because had they stayed, injuries would have been more severe.” And he reiterated the standard advice: “Get out and stay out, and call the Fire Department.
While Kearny firefighters were at the scene, the Jersey City FD provided coverage to the town.
