KEARNY – A Kearny family of four has been displaced from their home following a fire, possibly electrical in origin, that severely damaged the residence last Thursday afternoon.
Authorities said the alarm was called in at 4:59 p.m., April 13, after smoke wasdetected in the basement of the one-family, two-story house at 115 Seeley Ave.
Three individuals were in the home at the time and managed to escape without injury, Kearny Fire Chief Steve Dyl reported.
Dyl described the blaze in the wood-frame structure as “very aggressive” and said that, before it was declared under control at 6:09 p.m., firefighters had to rip open walls on the first and second floors to reach the flames and cut a hole in the roof to alleviate the heavy smoke conditions.
All KFD units responded to the scene, where, under the direction of incident commander Deputy Chief John Harris, they remained until 9:40 p.m. At the height of the blaze, they were joined by Jersey City firefighters, Kearny EMS and the KPD.
Dyl said the exact cause of the fire was undetermined, but the department was “unable to rule out the possibility that electricity was a contributing factor.”
Chief Inspector Juan Barroso was in charge of the investigation.
Dyl said the residents — mother, father and two adult children — were unable to reoccupy their home, which suffered “significant damage,” and are staying with family members.
While KFD crews were at the scene, the North Arlington, Belleville and Bayonne fire departments provided back-up coverage to the town.
