Cat dies in Easter house fire in Parsippany

PARSIPPANY - Two firefighters were treated for minor injuries Sunday after battling a house fire in the New Powder Mill section of the township that claimed the life of a pet cat.

Mount Tabor Volunteer Fire Department District 1 Chief David Hollner said the first responding units arrived on the scene just before noon, within five minutes of receiving a call about the fire from a resident of the home. Hollner said the resident told him he had just returned home to find fire in the kitchen.

Firefighters arrived to see both smoke and flames coming from the house and were able to extinguish the fire within 20 minutes, taking 35 to 40 more minutes to check for hot spots.

The fire was contained mostly to the kitchen and adjoining rooms, Hollner said, but the first floor of the house sustained heavy damage from fire, smoke and water and was rendered uninhabitable.

"It was a very hot fire," Hollner said.

Hollner confirmed the occupant family's pet cat died in the fire.

Two firefighters were taken to Morristown Medical Center, treated for unspecified minor injuries and released, Hollner said.

The fire is under investigation but is not considered suspicious, Hollner said. According to the resident, no food was being cooked and no kitchen appliances were in use at the time the fire broke out.

Joining a large Easter Sunday response at the scene were the Parsippany police, Rainbow Lakes Volunteer Fire Department District 2, Lake Parsippany Volunteer Fire Department District 3, the Cedar Knolls Fire Department, the Parsippany Volunteer Ambulance Squad and Parsippany Rescue and Recovery. The Denville and Morris Plains Fire Departments provided station coverage during the response.

Staff Writer William Westhoven: 973-917-9242; wwesthoven@gannettnj.com