A firefighter was rushed by ambulance Thursday to Englewood Hospital after helping to contain a blaze that started in the basement of a one-story Railroad Avenue home.
No one was in the home at the time of the fire. Police and fire officials said the fire may have been sparked by a wet/dry vacuum that was left running to clean up floodwater.
Firefighters responding from Norwood, Closter, and Harrington Park were able to save four dogs and two cats, homeowner Robert Diblasio said. No one was in the building at the time of the fire, he said.
“Thank god the kids were all at school,” Diblasio said.
Diblasio added that firefighters told him a vacuum that was left running in the basement was likely the cause of the fire, which caused significant soot and smoke damage.
Mayor James Barsa also responded to the scene of Thursday’s fire.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the firefighter for a speedy recovery,” he said “It’s a small town — we are all here to help each other if we can.”
Barsa said the borough would be offering assistance both to the injured firefighter’s family and the homeowners.
Norwood Police Chief Jeff Krapels confirmed the fire was likely electrical in nature, and started by equipment that had been left on in the home’s basement. He said that matter was still under investigation.
Krapels said the firefighter who was injured in the blaze “suffered some kind of heart event.” He would not identify the firefighter who was treated, but said CPR was performed at the scene, and “he was brought back.”
Krapels said that he spoke with the injured firefighter soon after the blaze, and that he was “alert and conscious” and in recovery.
