Smoke Alarm Save Short Hills Resident From Fire

A Short Hills resident escaped from a house fire on Hickory Road, after his smoke alarm woke him early Saturday morning. However, a firefighter was hospitalized from injuries he received while putting out the fire. 

Both Millburn Fire Department stations responded to a fire at 4:42 a.m. where smoke could be seen coming from the second floor of the house, fire officials said. 

"The smoke detector saved his life," Chief Michael Roberts said.

As firefighters made their way to into the two-story house, a 15-foot section of the ceiling collapsed on one of the firefighters. He was sent to Saint Barnabus Medical Center in Livingston, after being treated by the Millburn First Aid Squad.

According to Chief Roberts, “Our guy took a pretty good hit as it broke a piece of his fire helmet and parts of his self-contained breathing apparatus that he was wearing to extinguish the fire”.

The firefighter was treated for neck and back pain and released from the hospital.

The man living in the house woke to his fire alarm beeping and the second floor of his house filled with smoke, officials said. He called 9-1-1 after he got out of the house and met the firefighters on his front lawn, informing the department that he was the only one home.

The fire was accidental and caused by a frayed lamp cord, fire officials said after an investigation.

“We arrived within six minutes of the call and the guys did a great job in making their searches and extinguishing the fire with minimal damage to the rest of the house”, Chief Roberts stated.

The fire was put out by 5:39 a.m. Summit, Maplewood and Springfield Fire Departments assisted.