Fairfield Residents Escape Home With Dog After Garage Fire

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A pair of Fairfield residents were able to safely escape their home – with their dog – after their garage caught fire on Tuesday, authorities said.

According to the Fairfield Police Department, officers received a 911 call about a house fire on Big Piece Road at 4:55 p.m. When police arrived on the scene, they found the home’s garage “fully involved in flames.”

The Fairfield Fire Department, assisted by their peers from West Caldwell and North Caldwell, extinguished the fire in about 30 minutes, authorities said. The West Essex First Aid Squad and EMS7 stood by at the fire scene.

The home’s owner complained of chest pains, and a Fairfield firefighter complained of shortness of breath. Both were checked at the scene and refused any additional medical treatment, authorities said.

After an investigation, fire officials determined the blaze appears to be accidental. It apparently started in the garage, in the area where an electric garden tool was located, authorities said.

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