Three occupants were rescued – with at least two seriously injured – in a two alarm house fire on Essex Avenue in Maplewood early this morning.
Maplewood police pulled one victim — a woman — from the first floor of the 2.5 story house before firefighters arrived. Maplewood FD then removed a man from the first floor and used a ladder to reach the second floor and remove another male occupant. Both men are suffering from serious burns.
According to Maplewood Deputy Chief Chris Ariemma, the cause of the fire appears accidental, possibly stemming from a candle on the front porch. Ariemma reports that the fire began around 3:20 a.m.
No firefighters were injured.
Mutual aid was provided by East Orange, South Orange, Irvington and Orange.
This story will be updated.
